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Duterte on Vice Pres.

Robredo: ‘She’s the DATELINE USA Supreme Court allows parts constitutional successor to presidency’ of travel ban to proceed FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

by DANA

THIS week brought forth a slight victory for the Trump administration as the U.S. Supreme Court said that parts of the controversial travel ban can take effect.

In a 9-0 decision, the high court on Monday, June 26 said that President Donald Trump’s order can continue to bar entry to foreign nationals “who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.�

Examples of the relationships include “a close familial� one, students accepted to U.S. universities, or an individual who accepted an employment offer from an American company, according to the court.

The decision added that it leaves “the in-

SIOSON AJPress

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, June 27, stressed that Vice President Leni Robredo is the only legitimate successor to his post in case his term ends prematurely, as provided by the Constitution.

Speaking before the 120th founding anniversary

of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Duterte said that the Philippines is facing another problem as there are “two claimants to the presidency.�

While pointing out that Robredo is his lawful successor, Duterte added that there is another “pretender to the throne.� “Kaya sasabihin ko sa inyo na may problema rin tayong isa (I tell you we have another problem) because there is a pretender to the throne, assuming

Pew Survey: Most Filipinos trust Trump in world affairs

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Pacquiao in Brisbane vows to come home a champion

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WHILE there is not a lot of support from other countries for United States President Donald Trump, more than half of filipinos, however, expressed confidence that the American leader would make the correct decisions concerning global affairs.

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 37 countries showed that the Philippines is Trump’s greatest supporter.

Results show that 69 percent of Filipinos are confident that Trump would do the right thing when it comes to world affairs.

that I die within maybe tomorrow, next year, or next month,� Duterte said in his speech.

He then cited habitual nuisance bet and suspended lawyer, Elly Pamatong, who earlier proclaimed himself as the new president of the Philippines amid Duterte’s recent long hiatus from the public eye. “There are two claimants to the presidency.

Ang isa, nag-organize na at he (One of them) has

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

Manny Pacquiao hits the mitts with Freddie Roach during his media workout at a gym inside Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on Tuesday, June 27.

Philstar.com photo by Wendell Rupert Alinas

“I WILL be going home as world champion.�

This is what a bold and confident Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao declared as he left for Australia just a couple of days before his match against the undefeated Jeff Horn. “In all my years of boxing, I have never been as motivated and fired up as this fight,� Pacquiao told AFP as he thanked the large entourage that welcomed him after arriving in his opponent’s turf.

The 38-year-old Pacquiao is set to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Horn this coming Sunday, July 2, at the 50,000-seater Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. “I think this is one of the biggest crowds that I’m going to fight to. I love the fans shouting and cheering for me, or for Horn. I like that, it’s exciting,� he added.

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PH, China eye joint military MalacaĂąang: Duterte made foreign trips, investments drills to combat terrorism most among Philippine presidents

TO support the Philippine government’s efforts in flushing out Islamic State (IS) militants in Marawi City, China has donated around 3,000 rifles and 6 million pieces of ammunition to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Speaking before the turnover ceremony of approximately P590-million worth of military assistance to the Philippines on Wednesday, June 28, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua an-

nounced that Beijing is also exploring joint military exercises with the AFP. “Terrorism is the enemy both China and the Philippines are facing. It requires our two militaries to further enhance their cooperation in this area. The Chinese side would like to explore the possibility of joint training, intelligence sharing and joint military exercises in the area of fighting terrorism,� the Chinese

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by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

in June of last year, Duterte made 21 trips to 18 countries.

This is nearly three times the COMPARED to other Philip- number of trips his predecessor, pine presidents, President Ro- former President Benigno Aquino drigo Duterte made the most III, made during the same time number of foreign trips during frame. Aquino’s travels totaled to his first year in office — and at eight, which was also the same the same time, brought home the number as former Presidents Fimost foreign investments, ac- del Ramos and Joseph Estrada. cording to Malacaùang.

Former President Gloria MaSince assuming the presidency u PAGE A2

Human Rights Watch asked to prove claims vs. Duterte PHILIPPINE SENATOR Richard Gordon on Wednesday, June 28, urged an international human rights group to show evidence to support their claims that President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed a “human rights calamity� in his first year as president.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate justice and human rights committee, challenged the credibility of the NewYork based Human Rights Watch (HRW) claiming that it is an “advocacy group that has to sustain its momentum so that resources can be provided to them.�

In an interview with ABS-

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Philstar.com photo

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President Rodrigo Duterte, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano, and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo receive a P15 million check from Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua meant for relief and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City.

Presidential Photo

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From The FronT Page

Human Rights Watch asked to prove...

PAGE A1 CBN, he went on to say that “I’m not accusing them of taking advantage, they just have to earn their pay, earn their way.”

“A killing is a killing — homicides and murders. I don’t tolerate it, but all I want is for these groups to come out and get the evidence because right now, if you come down and look at the Duterte administration

— and I’m not going to say that that’s the justification—people seem to be agreeing with the peace and order campaign,” the senator said.

HRW alleged that Duterte is an “instigator” of extrajudicial killings.

Official date from the Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed that the number of homicide cases totaled 9,432

from July 2016 to March 2017.

Of that figure, 1,847 were said to be drug-related killings, while 1,894 were not. The remaining 5,691 cases, or approximately 60 percent of the total figure, remain under investigation.

Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign has also resulted in a 26.45 percent drop in the estimated total drug market and 28.57 percent reduction in index crime, according to PNP records.

“In several such cases, the police dismissed allegations of involvement when only hours before the suspects had been in police custody. Such cases call into question government assertions that the majority of killings were carried out by vigilantes or rival drug gangs,” the HRW said.

The group additionally stated that the Duterte administration has brushed off all local and international calls for accountability for the killings.

In light of the controversies, police authorities and the allies of Duterte have constantly denied claims that alleged drugrelated killings are governmentsponsored and that the policemen have been carrying out their jobs “within the bounds of [the] law.”

“President Duterte took office promising to protect human rights, but has instead spent his first year in office as a boisterous instigator for an unlawful killing campaign,” Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at HRW said.

The government’s murderous “’war on drugs,’ drug-related overcrowding of jails, and the harassment and prosecution of drug war critics have caused a steep decline with respect for basic rights since Duterte’s inauguration on June 30, 2016,” the group further claimed.

It also said that a United Nations (UN)-led international investigation on the killings is “desperately needed.”

Gordon, however, believes there is no need for a UN inquiry.

Last year, the Philippine senator led a legislative investigation which ruled out that there was “no sufficient evidence” to prove that the summary killings are government-sponsored.

(AJPress)

PRESIDENT DUTERTE AT PSG ANNIVERSARY. President Rodrigo Duterte joins members of the Presidential Security Group as they celebrate their 120th founding anniversary at the Malacañang Park in Manila on Wednesday, June 28.

Malacañang photo

Duterte on Vice Pres. Robredo...

PAGE A1 claimed that he has deposed me, presidential candidate… si Pamatong,” Duterte said.

In a viral video posted June 17, Pamatong announced that he “assumed full-fledged powers of the presidency,” saying that the presidential post has been vacant. The video description also read that Pamatong received “reliable information that Duterte is either dead or dying.”

Earlier this month, Duterte did not make any public appearances from June 12 to 16. This was followed by another prolonged absence from June 21 to 26. The turn of events led to speculations that Duterte is suffering from grave illness, which Malacañang repeatedly denied.

“Nandiyan si Leni. Baka magkamali kayo ng kampo ha. Dito tayo sa Constitution (Leni is here. You might join the wrong

Vice Pres. Leni Robredo

camp. Let us side with the Constitution). There is a successor there,” Duterte said.

For her part, Robredo affirmed that she and Duterte are maintaining a good working relation-

ship despite being unable to talk for almost three months.

In a radio interview, Robredo said the last time she had a conversation with Duterte was during the graduation ceremony of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 2017 earlier in March, when he invited her for dinner.

Robredo said the dinner has yet to happen, citing Duterte’s successive foreign trips and the conflict in Marawi.

The country’s two top officials have notable clashing stances over some political policies — among which includes Robredo’s dissent over Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.

In December last year, Robredo also retired from her cabinet post as the chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council after Duterte barred her from attending cabinet meetings. n

Malacañang: Duterte made most foreign trips...

PAGE A1 capagal-Arroyo, meanwhile, made the second most number of visits in her first year of presidency, totaling to 11—but it’s still less than half of Duterte’s.

Because of this, Duterte also has the highest foreign travel expenditures compared to his predecessors.

According to a Rappler report, Duterte’s travel expenses have amounted to about P386 million ($7.72 million) since assuming the presidency, with the exclusion of his recent trips to Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, and Russia.

Last year, Duterte traveled to Laos and Indonesia (P29 million), and Vietnam (P14 million) in September; Brunei and China (P45 million), and Japan (28 million) in October; Thailand and Malaysia (P24 million), and Peru

and New Zealand (P87 million) in November; and Cambodia and Singapore (P50 million) in December.

This year, Duterte flew to Myanmar (P2 million) and Thailand (P29 million) in March; Saudi Arabia (P10 million), Bahrain (P5 million), and Qatar (P64 million) in April; and Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, and Russia in May. Duterte’s trip to Russia was originally scheduled from May 22 to 26 but was cut short in the wake of a terrorist crisis that erupted on May 23 in Marawi City, Mindanao.

Malacañang, however, downplayed the “costly” foreign trips, underscoring how good returns surpass the expenses.

On Monday, June 26, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte’s foreign

trips brought in at least $35 billion worth of investments into the country.

“We can see in terms of costbenefit analysis that, as the Department of Finance said, for every peso spent, [the] government was able to bring home P1,000,” Andanar said.

He noted that Duterte was able to bring in $24 billion-worth of investments from China, $11 billion from Japan, and $1.9 billion from Qatar.

“So, the reports coming out in newspapers that the president is the most traveled president in his first year here in the Philippines are true,” Andanar said.

He added, “But it is also true that as the president who is the most traveled during his first year, he is also the one who got the most investments from other countries. That is also true.”

Pacquiao in Brisbane vows to come...

PAGE A1 Pacquiao, the crowd’s favorite, has been a professional boxer for more than three decades, earning eight world titles in different weight classes. He has a ring record of 59 wins, six losses and two draws.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Horn has a record of 16 wins and one draw, making a total number of matches to 17 since his professional debut in 2013.

Despite being nine years older, Pacquiao is confident that the age disparity won’t be a hindrance.

But at the same time, he said he’s not underestimating the less experienced Horn.

“I consider him a tough opponent,” Pacquiao said. “I never underestimate my opponent. He’s undefeated, he’s young. I like aggressive fighters.”

Horn’s camp, meanwhile, is

confident that the Australian challenger will dominate the ring and create a never-before-seen upset that will shock the Filipino defender.

“I have no doubt this is going to be a much better fight than we’ve seen against (Floyd) Mayweather, even (Jessie) Vargas and (Timothy) Bradley,” Horn’s trainer, Glenn Rushton, said.

“I think we’ve eliminated all of the problems that a lot of these fighters have had,” he added.

Rushton took note they had a ten-point plan that will surely topple down the majority’s expectations.

“I’ve got a 10-point plan and Jeff is the only person who has that 10point plan. I said to him, follow the plan and we win the fight, simple as that,” Rushton said.

Regarding Pacquiao’s next match in November, Top Rank

boss Bob Arum, said the result of Sunday’s match—whether Pacquiao will be able to pull out an impressive victory against Horn or not—plays a great role in determining his next opponent.

On Tuesday, June 27, Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach, said the Filipino boxing icon is still looking forward to a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. In what seemed to be one of the most lucrative events in boxing history, Mayweather was declared the winner by a unanimous decision during their match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas two years ago.

“To get Mayweather, you have to look good against Jeff Horn. He has to look good, he has to be impressive,” Roach told reporters in Brisbane. “The thing is, if it happens, it happens.”

Manny Pacquiao smiles as he talks to the press before a workout at a gym inside Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on Tuesday, June 27.

Philstar.com photo by Wendell Rupert Alinea

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DATELINE USA

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A3

Robredo addresses LA Fil-Ams at gala fundraiser Protesters, critics rally outside venue

by AJPRESS

‘WATTAH-WATTAH’ FESTIVAL. Thousands of San Juan City’s residents join the ‘Basaan Watercade’ along N. Domingo St. in celebration of the feast of St. John the Baptist on Saturday, June 24. It is customary for people to get doused with water during the festival of the saint who baptized Jesus Christ, as a reminder of their baptism.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

CBO deals blow to Senate health bill with estimate of 22M more uninsured SENATE Republicans’ legislation to overhaul the Affordable Care Act would leave an additional 22 million people without health care coverage over the next decade and cut the federal deficit by $321 billion, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released late Monday.

By 2026, an estimated 49 million people would be uninsured, compared with about 28 million who would lack coverage under current law.

The Senate’s bill — the Better Health Care Act, which GOP leaders hope to put to a vote later this week — comes nearly two months after the House passed its plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. That measure would cut about $834 billion from Medicaid and leave an additional 23 million people without coverage in 2026, according to CBO. It would reduce the federal deficit by $119 billion.

Earlier in the day, before the nonpartisan budget office’s score was released, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) described the GOP plan as preserving “access to care for patients with preexisting conditions.” He also said it would “strengthen Medicaid,”

give “Americans more power to control and reduce their medical costs and out-of-pocket expenses” and give “states significant new tools to drive down premiums.”

Yet it was unclear if Republicans, who have a razor-thin Senate majority, could garner the 50 votes necessary for the measure to pass. The budget office’s findings added to this uncertainly.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate who has been on the fence about the bill, tweeted late this afternoon that she could not support the current bill based on the CBO score. “I want to work with my GOP and Democratic colleagues to fix the flaws in ACA. CBO analysis shows Senate bill won’t do it. I will vote no” on bringing the bill to the Senate floor, she announced.

Senate Democrats were also swift to react.

“The CBO report should be the end of the road for Trumpcare,” tweeted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). And, in a statement, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said it was “abundantly clear [Republicans] are going in the wrong direction.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pointed to the analysis and said the GOP plan was “a cynical and

immoral proposal.”

Detailing the Medicaid numbers Under the GOP measure, federal spending on Medicaid would drop by 26 percent over current spending projections, or $772 billion, over the next decade, according to the analysis.

The drop in spending would occur mainly because the Senate plan phases out federal funds for states to expand Medicaid and it puts annual caps on federal Medicaid dollars to states. Currently, federal Medicaid matching payments to states are open-ended.

By 2026, the budget office predicted, 15 million fewer people would be enrolled in Medicaid than projected under the ACA. Currently, more than 74 million low-income and disabled people are Medicaid beneficiaries.

How Medicaid beneficiaries are affected by these caps depends on how states respond to them, the CBO notes.

“With less federal reimbursement for Medicaid, states would need to decide whether to commit more of their own resources to finance the program at current-law levels or to reduce spending by cutting payments to health care providers and

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PHILIPPINE Vice President Leni Robredo made a visit to Los Angeles over the weekend to attend an invite-only fundraising event organized by a local Filipino-American non-profit organization.

The Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) held its inaugural awards gala on Saturday, June 17 at the Mary Pickford Estate and invited Robredo as its guest of honor.

Earlier in the afternoon, select attendees participated in a meet and greet with the vice president.

During the dinner, she addressed the crowd for nearly 15 minutes, in which she talked about the importance of the arts and progress on her office’s anti-poverty program.

“I consider it a great honor to be given the chance to help, even in a very small way, in raising funds to sustain the only Filipino symphony orchestra outside of the Philippines,” she said in her speech. “Bringing music to every man, woman and child, especially for those who long the sounds of home, is a very important advocacy.”

Though she did not get into the political situation in the Philippines, she vaguely touched upon “global and local challenges, many of which we cannot control.”

“But the extraordinariness of ordinary people are giving us hope,” she said, citing examples she’s seen through Angat Buhay, which focuses on nutrition and

food security, universal healthcare, education, rural development and women empowerment.

She noted that the program is now in 127 areas of the country.

With the current situation in the Philippines — including the Marawi crisis which is now in its fifth week — Robredo denied requests to be interviewed by local media.

Since May 23, Philippine troops have been fighting the Islamic State(IS)-linked Maute group, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in the Mindanao region. This week, the government has recorded 375 deaths associated with the clash.

“There are many ways each of us can give our nation a push towards a brighter future,” the vice president concluded in her speech.

Also during the event, four awardees were recognized: Filipina singer and actress Sylvia La Torre and soprano Maria Christina Navarro for Excellence in Music, and musician and teacher Cecilia A. Coo-Cruz and accountant and former FASO board member Titus Verzosa for Excellence in Service.

Robredo’s overseas trip was not without controversy, however. Nearly a dozen protestors held signs outside the gated community where the event was being held. On the internet, various bloggers questioned where the proceeds of the gala would go to, alleging that they would benefit the vice president.

However, throughout the gala program, several of FASO’s board members reiterated that

Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo delivers a speech at the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra’s gala on Saturday, June 17 in Los Angeles.

Contributed photo by Rick Gavino

the funds would be put toward the orchestra and its music education programs.

As of this writing, the total amount raised on Saturday had not yet been disclosed.

While in LA, Robredo met with members of the United Bicolandia Los Angeles, an association of individuals who immigrated to the U.S. from the Bicol region, where the vice president is also from.

Afterward, she made her way to Boston, where her eldest daughter, Aika, will be attending a master’s program at Harvard University. The vice president returned to the Philippines on Thursday, June 22.

PH, China eye joint military drills...

PAGE A1 envoy said.

On Tuesday, June 27, Zhao presented a P15-million check to President Rodrigo Duterte for support relief operations and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City.

Duterte expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government. He was joined by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano, and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo in receiving the check.

“We are almost on bended knees sometimes because of lack of equipment. It is a good thing we have a good friend like China who is very understanding,”

Duterte said.

Zhao added that there will be a second batch of guns and ammunition being prepared by the Chinese side and will be delivered in several months.

On top of the P15 million rehabilitation assistance, China also donated another P5 million to the families of soldiers who died or were wounded in battle.

“We will help not only the fight against terrorism but also to rehabilitate and reconstruct the conflict-affected areas in Marawi.

I hope the China participation in the rehabilitation of Mindanao will help the comprehensive settlement of the issue of terrorism,”

Zhao said.

“China is your good neighbor, good partner and your good relatives and China will remain so in the many years to come,” he added.

Duterte said that the military assistance is one of the defense cooperation matters he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jin Ping in his visit to China in October last year.

“This is not only to strengthen our country’s commitment to support each other during times of need, but also highlights the dawn of a new era in PhilippineChinese relations,” Duterte said.

(AJPress)

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Asian American women often face delays in treatment after worrisome mammograms Nearly 1 in 5 Filipina women experienced delays of one year or more

by Ngoc

NguyeN Kaiser Health News

THREE years ago, Thu Hong Tran’s mammogram showed dense and discolored areas that worried her doctor, who suggested doing a second test.

“My family said, ‘to be safe, let’s go to the hospital and get it checked one more time,”’ said Tran, 72, speaking in Vietnamese.

A biopsy revealed that Tran had breast cancer. Doctors detected it early, and it was still a small tumor, Tran recounted.

Throughout her treatment, Tran said, her children helped translate medical forms and made sure she ate well. And they helped her keep on top of all her medical appointments, taking time off work to drive her to chemotherapy.

For Tran, who is now in remission, family played a vital role in ensuring she received timely care. But a new study by researchers at the University of California-San Francisco shows that many Asian women in the U.S. don’t have the same level of support.

The UCSF researchers analyzed 10 years of data on women living in Northern California and found that a higher percentage of Asians experienced delays in follow-up treatment after an abnormal mammogram than white women.

Over 40 percent of Asian American women had followup appointments a month or more after an abnormal test, compared to about a quarter of white women, according to the study. And that disparity with whites persisted at 60 and 90 days for most Asian women.

On the extreme end of the spectrum, 15 percent of Asian women had delays of a year or more in getting follow-up care, compared with 10 percent of white women, the study showed. Among Filipina women, nearly 1 in 5 experienced delays of one year or more.

“If there is a suspicious finding, an abnormal mammogram, it’s very important

to get immediate follow-up,” said Kim Hanh Nguyen, a researcher at UCSF’s Institute for Health Policy Studies and the study’s lead author. There is no medically specified time frame for receiving followup care, but research shows delays can be deadly, she said. “Anything beyond three months, you have a lower survival rate, and not following up for a year — that’s cause for concern.”

California’s Every Woman Counts program, which provides breast and cervical cancer screening for uninsured and underinsured women, requires that at least threefourths of its patients get a definitive diagnosis from a doctor in its network within 60 days of an abnormal mammogram.

That requirement is based on clinical standards established by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Every Woman Counts, run by the California Department of Health Care Services, spent $21 million on breast cancer screening and other diagnostic services for nearly 156,000 women in fiscal year 20142015, the most recent period for which complete data are available.

Several factors explain the delayed post-mammogram care for many Asian women, including language barriers, health care access and financial resources, Nguyen said.

The UCSF study did not address the women’s health insurance status.

The analysis revealed disparities among different Asian national groups. Vietnamese and Filipina women had the longest average delays before following up — 32 days and 28 days, respectively — while Japanese women had the shortest, at 19 days. For white women, the average follow-up time was 15 days.

The findings are consistent with previous studies show-

ing similar delays for Latino and African American women, compared to their white counterparts.

Nguyen also cited cultural and social factors, noting that some studies show “Asians report a lack of trust with their health care provider, low satisfaction in their health care, and perceived discrimination or disrespect by providers.”

Because of that, it’s important for doctors to think about communication with their patients, including translation, Nguyen said.

At Zuckerberg San Francisco General, the city’s public hospital, a breast cancer clinic offers support services to boost the follow-up rate among women with abnormal mammograms.

Most of the clinic’s patients are covered by Medi-Cal and a third are Chinese, said Barbara Cicerelli, director of cancer navigation services.

The clinic’s services help ensure that the women who go there do not face delays, Cicerelli said.

The breast clinic partners with community organizations to further support patients.

Cecile Ascalon, executive director of the Pilipino Senior Resource Center in San Francisco, said staff escort Filipina patients to follow-up appointments, help them talk to their doctor, and ease their fears about the process.

“Cancer is very difficult.

There’s a kind of stigma when you’re diagnosed with it,” Ascalon said. “Sometimes clients are scared.”

The UCSF study included nearly 50,000 white and Asian-American women whose medical histories were in the San Francisco Mammography Registry, which contains records from participating radiology centers in the area. *** This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

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ON THEIR TOES. Members of the anti-terrorism unit of the Philippine National Police make their presence felt at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The police have been making random checks of vital installations as part of its campaign to prevent terror attacks.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

CBO deals blow to Senate health bill...

PAGE A3 health plans, eliminating optional services, restricting eligibility for enrollment through work requirements and other changes,” according to the analysis.

The Medicaid funding provisions are a key reason several influential health groups say they cannot support the bill.

“Access to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our society — including those who require treatment for opioid-use disorder — would be endangered by the Senate proposal’s arbitrary, unsustainable, and shortsighted formula for funding Medicaid,” David Barbe, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement posted on the organization’s website.

And even before the CBO report was issued, the National Association of Medicaid Directors was on record with its concerns.

“The Senate bill does formalize several critical administrative and regulatory improvements, such as giving Medicaid Directors a seat at the table in the development of regulations that impact how the program is run, and the pathway to permanency for certain waiver programs,” the group said. “However, no amount of administrative or

regulatory flexibility can compensate for the federal spending reductions that would occur as a result of this bill.”

Other organizations, such as Families USA and the American Public Health Association, said the CBO’s findings show the Senate proposal did “devastating harm” and would “seriously jeopardize the health of America.”

Cost and coverage The budget scorekeepers also concluded that, for the individual insurance market, premium costs would go down under the Senate plan, but so would the amount of coverage provided.

Because these plans “would pay for a smaller average share of benefits under this legislation, most people purchasing it would have higher out-of-pocket spending on health care than under current law,” CBO said.

In 2017, an estimated 12 million people bought health coverage through the ACA’s marketplaces. Most bought silver-level plans, which covered 70 percent of health care costs.

Under the Senate’s plan, the average premiums for an individual in 2020 would be about 30 percent lower. But these policies would cover about 58 percent of costs on average.

According to the CBO, “a combination of factors would lead to that decrease – most important, the smaller share of benefits paid for by the benchmark plans and federal funds provided to directly reduce premiums.”

The CBO also analyzed the Senate bill provision that would allow states to use waivers to modify the health law’s essential health benefits that include items like prescription drugs, maternity coverage, mental health and substance abuse. In states where such waivers were granted, consumers could experience substantial cost increases for supplemental premiums or out-of-pocket spending, or choose to forgo services. Nearly half the population, the CBO estimates, would reside in states that seek these waivers.

In addition, the ACA’s ban on lifetime and annual limits on covered benefits would no longer apply to health benefits not defined as essential in a state (Mary Agnes Carey and Phil Galewitz/Kaiser Health News) *** This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Supreme Court allows parts of travel ban...

PAGE A1 junctions entered by the lower courts in place with respect to respondents and those similar situated.”

The court said it will hear oral arguments for the order, which blocks travelers from six predominantly Muslim nations and refugees, during its next term in October.

The president hailed the ruling on Monday as “a clear victory for our national security.”

“As President, I cannot allow people into our country who want to do us harm. I want people who can love the United States and all of its citizens, and who will be hardworking and productive,” he said in a statement.

The executive order, which was signed a week after Trump took office in January, initially called for denying individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

Meanwhile, the restriction was 120 days for refugees. It took effect immediately, causing hundreds of individuals to be detained at airports around the country, as well as deportations.

After being blocked by the courts, the Trump administration revised the order in March that included the same countries except Iraq and did not apply to visa and green card holders.

This version has seen its own

Pres. Donald Trump

set of legal challenges as well, including being blocked by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland.

On Monday, June 12, the San Francisco-based United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had ruled that the president was overstepping his authority with this ban. Previously, the 4th Circuit upheld injunctions opposing the ban on the grounds that the travel ban was driven by religious intolerance and discrimination toward Muslims.

Civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice expressed that it was “disappointed” in the court’s ruling.

“Today we are deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court sided with fear while blindly ignoring the hardships faced by refugees and visa seekers. Many Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities have suffered greatly since the first Muslim ban was issued,” the organization said in a statement. “The administration’s Muslim ban foments disturbing trends of anti-Muslim sentiments within the U.S. and abroad. The Supreme Court should not have allowed any part of the Muslim ban to move forward while this executive order is under review.” (Christina M. Oriel / AJPress)

Pew Survey: Most Filipinos trust Trump...

PAGE A1

Fax résumé to:

info@asianjournalinc.com

Trump also received high confidence ratings in other countries including Vietnam at 58 percent, Nigeria at 58 percent, Israel at 56 percent, and Russia at 53 percent.

In contrast, 23 percent of Filpinos showed distrust towards the U.S. president. Trump also received the lowest scores in Mexico and Spain, with trust ratings of only 5 percent and 7 percent respectively.

Overall, Trump received a median trust rate of 22 percent, which “stands in contrast to the final years of Barack Obama’s presidency, when a median of 64 percent expressed confidence in Trump’s predecessor to direct America’s role in the world.”

Trump’s global rating is also the lowest compared to the three other major powers in the survey: German Chancellor Angela Merkel

at 42 percent confidence rate, Chinese President Xi Jinping at 28 percent, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at 27 percent.

Likewise, Pew Research Center said that Trump’s ratings are “at some of the lowest levels” it measured “over the past decade and a half.”

It explained that confidence in Trump is “influenced by reactions to both his policies and his character.”

“With regard to the former, some of his signature policy initiatives are widely opposed around the globe,” it said. “His plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, for example, is opposed by a median of 76 percent across the 37 countries surveyed.”

“Trump’s character is also a factor in how he is viewed abroad.

In the eyes of most people surveyed around the world, the White House’s new occupant is arrogant,

intolerant and even dangerous,” it added.

Results show that 75 percent of the respondents viewed Trump as arrogant, 65 percent as intolerant, and 62 percent as dangerous.

Positively, 55 percent viewed him as a strong leader.

The survey also revealed that slightly more than half of the Filipino respondents have confidence in the Russian and Chinese leaders.

According to the survey, 54 percent of Filipinos trust Putin in world affairs while 53 percent trust Xi. The study surveyed around 40,000 people in 37 countries from February 16 to May 8.

Pew Research Center is “a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.” (Dana Sioson/AJPress)

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Dateline PTrillanes hiliPPines to BBC: News about planning to sue untrue

by Jennifer

Soriano

AJPress

DAY OF PRAYER. Hundreds of Muslims pray at the Blue Mosque in Maharlika Village in Taguig City on Sunday, June 25. The observance of this year’s Eid’l Fitr was somber as the nation grappled with the terror and horror brought by the Maute Group that attacked Marawi City last month. Muslims all over the country trooped to mosques early on Sunday to offer their prayers after 30 days of fasting.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

PH gov’t rejects Maute hostage-swap deal

by Dana

SioSon

AJPress

The Philippine government on Tuesday, June 27, turned down the reported offer from Maute terrorists to release their hostages in exchange for the detained parents of the pro-Islamic State (IS) group’s leaders. earlier this week, a local media outlet reported that one of the Maute terrorist group leaders, Abdullah Maute, is offering the release of Catholic priest Father Chito Suganob and other abducted civilians in exchange for his parents who were recently nabbed by authorities.

The report cited an unnamed source who supposedly went with fellow emissaries and talked to the extremists amid the ‘humanitarian pause’ on Sunday, June 25.

While Malacañang said that it has yet to verify the offer, it maintained that the government will not make any deals with terrorists.

“Government’s policy not to negotiate with terrorists remains,” Presidential Spokesperson ernesto Abella told reporters in a press briefing.

Abella also echoed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)’s earlier statement that the military has no knowledge of the negotiation. “hence, the local religious leader-led talks with the terror-

(L-R) Fr. Teresito Suganob, Cayamora Maute and Farhana Maute

ists last Sunday is one of that was not sanctioned by government, the military and our political leaders. Any demands made inside, therefore, hold no basis,” Abella added.

Last June 6, the patriarch, Cayamora Maute, was arrested in Davao City, while his wife, Ominta “Farhana,” was detained on June 9 in Masui, Lanao Del Sur. Some of their relatives were also arrested alongside with them. Both parents face rebellion charges.

The Maute terrorists, lead by brothers Abdullah and Omar, laid siege of Marawi City on May 23, resulting in the displacement of at least 69,000 families and the deaths of about 27 civilians, according to authorities.

“Let us continue to remind the public that the gravity of theirs — of terrorists’ and their supporters’ offense is immense and they must all be held accountable for all their actions,” Abella further

Inquirer.net photos

SenATOr Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch critic of President rodrigo Duterte, clarified in a letter dated June 23 to British Broadcasting Corp’s (BBC) DirectorGeneral Tony hall that he is not going to sue the network, contrary to recent “fake news” reports circulating.

This happened a week after Trillanes was interviewed via satellite by “hardtalk,” BBC’s interview program known for throwing hard-hitting questions at its guests.

The interview drew flak as supporters of Duterte were quick to lash out at the senator for his replies when the host tried to pose questions and comments that seemed to be in favor of the controversial president.

Used to being the target of his political foe, Trillanes, however, brushed off the dissenting remarks thrown at him.

“It is what it is. People who watched the full interview (not the spliced one) are entitled to their own opinions. The haters will hate; the believers will believe,” the senator said in a statement. he added, “This propaganda machine is also being used to swarm various media organizations and personalities to create an impression that there is an overwhelming support for President Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.”

Along with the letter, Trillanes attached a transcript of the said interview and a list of fake news websites proliferating his alleged plan to sue BBC. The websites that published the fake story include Our Daily revelations Ph and The Adobo

noted.

‘We are winning’ After more than a month since the conflict erupted, the Philippine military expressed confidence in its nearing victory against the Maute extremists in Mindanao.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines is winning and that victory is irreversible,” Lt. Col. Jo-ar herrera, the spokesperson of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said in a press briefing on Monday, June 26. he went on to say, “Troops continue to get deeper into once enemy-held positions as evidenced by the recovery of cadavers of terrorists and their firearms, computers and peripherals as well as communication equipment and accessories.”

Despite this, herrera admitted that the government forces are still not free from challenges, PAGE A7 Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV

Chronicles.

The senator also expressed that having a BBC interview was a privilege.

“Let me just say that it was an honour to be invited as a resource person on BBC World’s ‘hardtalk’ program,” Trillanes wrote. “So, please be assured that I have no plans of suing your company. On

the contrary, I am very satisfied with how the interview was conducted by Mr. Stephen Sackur, as I was given a chance to give my insights about the real situation in our country.” he went on to say that the appearance was “one of the proudest moments in my public life.”

PAGE A7

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

JUNE 29-JUly 5, 2017 • lAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAl

OpiniOn

Numbers that matter

Features

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has maintained excellent trust and approval ratings among top government officials in his first year in office.

This is a feat considering how negatively he was portrayed by media around the world for his unrelenting initiatives to rid the country of illegal drugs, crime and corruption.

Despite his critics, 80 percent of Filipinos had “much trust” for the president, while 10 percent expressed “little trust” and 11 percent were “undecided,” according to the latest poll conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS).

By being the most traveled Philippine president in his first year, Duterte fostered strong relationships with various world leaders, which also resulted in people-to-people relationships. Not to mention, he was named the chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

While he almost severed ties with the U.S. and the European Union (EU) — by initiating an independent foreign policy — the president still managed to make unlikely allies in China and Russia.

More than the improved ties with other nations, Duterte has also brought home P35 billion in his sojourns. These are not just investments pledges because the actual signings of purchase orders are already taking place.

Preparations are already underway for his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month, where he is expected to list all of his administration’s achievements after just one year in office.

In past administrations, Filipinos were gener-

ally disappointed when most promises comprised in the past leaders’ SONA, never saw the light.

However, in this current government, Filipinos are witnessing a growing economy that is benefiting from reforms in governance and transparency. The nation also achieved gains in terms of reducing prospects for corruption, improved public service, decreasing crime rate, among others.

Because of these changes, Senate Pres. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III believes that the president has fulfilled his campaign promise that “change is coming,” particularly in the areas of foreign relations and peace and order.

“We’ve felt so many changes... The world believes that we have an independent foreign policy. We are no longer being dictated by other countries. We determine our own course in international affairs,” he said.

Pimentel gave the president a grade of 8.5 to nine for his performance in his first year.

“To our President, keep on doing what you have been doing. Surveys have been saying that the people appreciate what you have been doing.

There are also negative statements, but this is a democracy,” he said.

Duterte is expected by every Filipino — and even foreign observers — to give a more coher-

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

ent and appropriate address befitting the current socio-economic and political situation in the country. And because ordinary citizens offer limited interest in statistics, the president must also draw a clear outline of how he wants to achieve

the nation’s goals, while working with his constituents to move forward.

With still five years left in office, more tangible and reliable results of what his leadership is all about are yet to be seen. (AJPress)

Bill that aims to repeal and replace Obamacare hangs in the balance (again) for lack of support IT’S DÉJÁ VU all over again as the The Fil-Am much-anticipated vote for another ver- Perspective sion of the health care bill—which President Donald Trump and the Republicans wish to pass to repeal and Gel SantoS-ReloS replace Obamacare —has been delayed once again because of lack of support even among GOPs in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been pushing for a vote before the Fourth of July break but Republicans won’t all get on board to pass the bill that has been a revision of the first bill that the House of Representatives could not pass the first time around.

With the Democrats totally against any effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act that has helped cover millions of uninsured Americans, the Trump’s party could only afford to lose two votes among Republicans. But as of Tuesday, about five Republican senators have signified their stances to NOT support the bill, either because it was not too conservative enough in fighting against entitlements, or that it would cause their constituents who are already being helped by Obamacare to lose the health care benefits they are now enjoying.

The recently released report by the

nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) did not help the Republicans’ cause as much as they thought it would in selling their health care bill to their constituents.

The CBO estimates that by the year 2026, 46 million Americans would be uninsured compared to 28 million who are uninsured under Obamacare.

Those who would be most vulnerable under the Republican Senate health care bill would be adults under 65, the elderly, the working poor on Medicaid, the middle class, women, those who use mental health services, and those with disabilities and pre-existing conditions.

Those who would benefit most are wealthy Americans who would enjoy about $563 billion in tax cuts over 10 years.

The CBO report further reveals that the Senate plan would lead to an estimated $321 billion in deficit reduction from 2017-2026. However, the savings would be coming mostly from Medicaid, which the CBO estimates to fall by 26 percent by 2026 as compared to Obamacare.

While Obamacare may have features that would have to be improved or modified, why throw away the Affordable Care Act if it has been helping so many?

Why rush the Republican health care bill to a vote when it does not have the support of most Americans? According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, only 17 percent of Americans approve of the bill, which includes less than half of Republicans.

To repeal Obamacare has been the

obsession and the campaign promise of Republicans since the day it was signed into law. Yet, up to now, the party of Trump has not offered a viable solution to the health care problem that can and will benefit most Americans.

Shouldn’t the Republicans just keep Obamacare and work with Democrats to address the problems of the current health care law? Or are they just motivated by the goal to erase the landmark legacy of the first African American president? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos

We must protect One year after: The Duterte phenomenon continues our public lands NEVADANS have good rea- monuments designated in the son to be fiercely proud, and past 20 years—a list that includes protective, of our public lands. Gold Butte and Basin and Range.

If the Trump From the crysadministratal clear waters tion revokes of Lake Tahoe Commentary these desigin the north to nations, our the ruby sandstate’s most stone canyons valuable in the south, natural and Nevada’s natu- SenatoR CatheRine cultural reral beauty is CoRtez MaSto sources will unparalleled.

The opportunity to explore our become vulnerable to privatistate’s parks, monuments, and zation, pollution, extraction, refuges is one of the many joys and permanent degradation.

Trump’s budget proposal repreof living here.

I first encountered the wonder sents yet another threat to our of Nevada’s public lands at a very public lands. If passed, it would young age. When my sister and eliminate $11.6 billion from the I were kids, my dad took us all Department of the Interior, the over the state, hiking, camping, agency responsible for manrock-climbing, and bird watch- aging them. These egregious ing. He loved the natural world cuts would hinder our ability and wanted us to discover its to protect our lands, devastate our local economies and put the magic.

Every young Nevadan de- health of Nevadans at risk.

Our public lands belong to all serves to have that same experience. Outdoor recreation sup- of us so we need to protect them ports 20,000 jobs and generates for future generations. I will work $1.8 billion in sales in Nevada tirelessly with my colleagues to each year, but our public lands preserve Nevada’s public lands. are not just a boon to our econ- To do otherwise would be a proomy—they are a powerful tool found disservice to our children for educating our children and and grandchildren.

Note: The Department of the improving their health. Nevada’s canyons, deserts, mountains, Interior is accepting public comand lakes are the foundation ment as part of its review. Go of our Western identity and an to monumentsforall.org to voice indispensable part of our collec- your support for our national monuments before July 10th. tive heritage.

On April 26, President Trump *** directed the Department of the Catherine Cortez Masto is a Democrat and Interior to review all national U.S. senator from Nevada.

IT’S unbelievable that time has quickly gone by. After one year in office, President Duterte continues to enjoy the highest trust and confidence rating ever given by Filipinos to a president. Despite his colorful, off-the-cuff remarks which often drive criticism from his detractors here and abroad, no one can argue that his popularity continues to be high.

When the president briefly disappeared from public view, it triggered speculations about his state of health and spawned rumors that he was either comatose or dying. Informal surveys nonetheless showed that Duterte’s popularity spiked even more with so many expressing concern about the president – although the nature of such “concern” from certain opposing groups certainly had less to do with the desire for his well-being and more like “wishful thinking.”

A Financial Times article the other day sums it up very well with its headline that said, “Scandals fail to hurt Duterte ‘the Punisher’ after year in office.” The European news outlet noted that Duterte’s popularity “appears resistant to the tumult that has defined his tenure since his June 30 inauguration. Indeed, the claims and chaos have often played to the tough guy image of the man known as the ‘Trump of Asia.’ The resilient fortunes of the surprise winner of the race for Manila’s Malacañang presidential palace might be the envy of the US White House. Mr Duterte’s success in neutralizing criticism shows the power of framing problems simplistically and cleaving to the logic that ends justify means.”

All the efforts of the “yellow

group” especially those Babe’s based in the US to make a dent Eye View on the popularity of Duterte seem to be fruitless.

As BBC’s HARD- BaBe RoMualdez talk TV host Stephen Sackur described it during a 24-minute interview with Senator Sonny Trillanes that has since gone viral on social media, the opponents of the man chosen by Filipino voters to “clean up” the country seem to be “bashing their head against a brick wall.”

The TV host also cited the high approval/satisfaction rating of the president and the appreciation of ordinary Filipinos who feel that Duterte’s “iron fist” approach to solving criminality and ridding the country of illegal drugs has made the streets safer today. The BBC host also laughed off Trillanes’ argument that Duterte’s numbers have since gone down to 75 percent, saying that getting such a high approval rating would be enough to make Western politicians regard it as “the happiest day of their life.”

The irony of it all is that Rody Duterte seems unimpressed by the trappings of power as evidenced by such vignettes recounted to me

by Executive Secretary Bingbong Medialdea. Every so often, the BSP needs to change the old money in circulation so they needed to get the specimen signature of the president for the new peso bills which had to be to issued in December last year.

President Rody found it “corny,” but Secretary Medialdea told the

President that if he didn’t sign, there would be no money in circulation for government projects (or something to that effect). The president finally relented.

It is this sense of authenticity that has endeared the president to the people. His common touch and the aura of sincerity he emanates whenever he talks and jokes with soldiers, condoles with the bereaved family of slain troops or brings wounded soldiers with him on the presidential plane to airlift them resonates strongly with a huge number of ordinary Filipinos.

They chose him to be their leader despite frenzied efforts by opponents to bombard him with negative issues during the presidential campaign. Duterte once said, “They laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh at them because they’re all the same.”

A reliable source told us that a high Comelec official went to see President Duterte to apologize and ask for “forgiveness” because some five million votes cast for Duterte were not counted in the May 2016 polls – which means that the 16 million-plus votes credited to Duterte should have been over 21 million.

Many detractors have characterized him as someone who keeps crying wolf about the problem of drugs and terrorism in the country, even calling his declaration of martial law in Mindanao as an “over reaction.” But recent developments prove the connection be-

tween drugs and terrorism – a fact confirmed by foreign intelligence agents working with the Philippine government to combat transnational crimes.

During clearing operations in Marawi City a few days ago, police authorities seized 2 kilos of shabu worth P10 million from the house of Omar Ali, an ex-mayor of Marawi who was in the president’s list of suspected narco-politicians.

Even the international community has realized the seriousness behind President Duterte’s warnings about the presence of ISIS terrorists in Mindanao. Indonesia and Malaysia have partnered with the Philippines to form a trilateral group for enhanced counter-terrorism efforts and implement strategies to prevent ISIS militants from gaining foothold in the region. Australia will also send high-tech AP3C Orion aircraft to provide surveillance support in the fight against terrorism – something that our closest ally the United States has been consistently providing despite a few bumps in our relations.

All these developments simply underscore the credibility of the president’s claims regarding drugs and the terrorist menace – and why he continues to be popular among majority of Filipinos.

Some however are still dumbfounded about why Duterte continues to be popular especially those from the upper crust of society or the so-called “branded name peninsulares.” One of them aptly described the President’s popularity in Spanish: “Este hombre es fenomenal, como nunca (This man is phenomenal, like never before).

(Philstar.com)

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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A

Senators trounce decision, file resolution DOJ starts pork barrel reinvestigation against Espinosa slay case downgrade

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

OppOsitiOn senators decided to up the ante on tuesday, June 27, by filing a resolution expressing “grave concerns” in the downgrade the charges against the 19 police-suspects involved in the killing of a highprofile inmate, Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa sr. since the Department of Justice (DOJ) released its decision to downgrade the offense of the 19 suspects from Criminal investigation and Detection Group Region 8 (CiDG-8) -- led by psupt.

Marvin Marcos -- to a less serious and a bailable offense on May 29, many senators, including the allies of president Rodrigo Duterte, have verbally expressed their criticisms. s e n a t o r R i s a H o n t i v e ro s initiated the writing of the resolution and was signed by senators Franklin Drilon, Francis “Kiko” pangilinan, Leila De Lima, paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino iV and Antonio “sonny” trillanes iV. in the resolution, the senators reflect the questionable inconsistencies in DOJ secretary

Vitaliano Aguirre’s decision.

During the november 23 inquiry on the Espinosa slay last year, “Aguirre categorically stated that given all the circumstances, he could conclude that the killing of Espinosa and his fellow inmate Raul Yap was premeditated.”

“Further, he also considered the conduct of the operation at 4:30 in the morning as ‘very unusual’ and not consistent with the procedure. He also labeled the service of the search warrant for a single weapon at a provincial jail by 19 police personnel an ‘overkill,’ the resolution read.

After several inquiries, the senate unanimously approved and adopted the resolution, which found that “the killing of Mayor Espinosa was premeditated and with abuse of authority on the part of the operatives of CiDG-8.”

However, on May 29, the DOJ murder charges against Marcos and other policemen were dismissed and indicted them instead for the lesser and bailable offense of homicide, on the grounds that ““[t]he evidence on record do not

support the allegation of evident premeditation.” the policemen were released out on bail. the resolution filed by the senators also seeks the appropriate senate committee to “inquire, in aid of legislation, why the recommendations of the senate were ignored with the end in view of formulation remedial or corrective legislation.”

Aguirre, for his part, stands by his latest decision. He explained earlier in an interview by AnC that he was “goaded” by some senators to agree with them that what happened to Espinosa in his detention cell was a premeditated killing.

“Actually, when i appeared before the senate then, i had not studied this very deeply. As a matter of fact, if you review the transcript of stenographic notes you will notice that i was being goaded by some senators to agree with them. But at that time, there was yet not affidavit submitted in defense of the respondents,” the justice secretary said earlier. (Jennifer Soriano/AJPress)

De Lima to face drug case as private citizen tHE Muntinlupa City Regional trial Court (RtC) ) issued another arrest warrant for senator Leila De Lima on drug trafficking charges, alleging that she committed the offense after she resigned as justice secretary in 2015. senior Assistant City prosecutor Alexander Ramos said De Lima will be treated as a private citizen for her involvement in the illegal drug operations at the new Bilibid prison. the latest arrest warrant issued on June 21 stemmed from the sworn statement submitted by convicted drug offender peter Co who claimed De Lima and Jose Adrian Dera had “demanded, solicited and extorted” money from him in exchange for the release of his niece sally under the threat of being charged for illegal drugs.

Co said that Dera acted on the senator’s behalf in receiving the initial p2 million from the p5 million. Dera then seized his four vehicles and used them for De Lima’s senatorial campaign.

Co also accused Dera of obtaining the additional p3 million he demanded from sally to finance De Lima’s election bid.

Judge Amelia Fabros-Corpuz,

through the RtC Branch 25, issued the latest arrest warrant for De Lima and Dera on June 21 over allegations that the senator, during her stint as the justice secretary, conspired with Dera in demanding, soliciting and extorting money and vehicles from Co, a drug lord and high-profile inmate at the national penitentiary. the DOJ alleged that Dera is the nephew and aide of de Lima.

Both De Lima and Dera denied the recent allegations. “i do not know him at all.

Dera himself already denied any relationship or connection to me whatsoever,” said De Lima, is currently detained at the philippine national police custodial center at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

De Lima said that her faith in the country’s judiciary remains and that she is “optimistic that the handling judges will more and more realize the unreliability of the witnesses against me, as well as the [incredulity] of their stories.” “in the end, all of these socalled witnesses will be proven to have been lying all along, or have simply been threatened to falsely testify against me. the

tHE philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially started its reinvestigation into the multimillion priority Development Assistance Fund (pDAF) anomaly, also referred to as the pork barrel scam.

Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said the department has already formed a new task force to correct the “miscarriage of justice” in the previous inquiry during the administration of former president Benigno Aquino. the past investigation, under then-Justice secretary Leila de Lima, has led to the indictment of plunder, graft, and malversation charges against former senators Juan ponce Enrile, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr, and Jinggoy Estrada. “i have already ordered the reorganization of the task Force on pDAF cases for the purpose of reinvestigation. i designated undersecretary Antonio ‘Richie’ Kho

as head of the task force,” Aguirre said in a message to reporters.

Aguirre said the new team — composed of prosecutors and national Bureau of investigation (nBi) agents — would start by validating the statements and evidence to be submitted by detained businesswoman Janet Limnapoles, the alleged brains of the pork barrel scam.

“Just like in the previous investigation, the statements and evidence will be validated through records from relevant implementing agencies and the Commission on Audit (COA),” Aguirre said. pointing out that only the opposition members were charged in the previous investigation, Aguirre vowed that “no selective justice” would occur in the fresh probe.

Aguirre previously revealed that among the senators whom napoles implicated in the scam were senators de Lima and Antonio trillanes iV, and senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon. Former Budget secretary Butch Abad was

also included. trillanes and De Lima are notably among president Rodrigo Duterte’s staunchest critics, while Drilon is currently the senate minority leader.

All denied claims of their involvement in the scam.

Aguirre also suggested turning napoles into a state witness, though he clarified that it will not affect her pending cases in connection with the pDAF anomalies before the sandiganbayan. the Office of the Ombudsman, however, dismissed the idea, stressing that napoles is one of the principal alleged malefactors.

While the DOJ has the discretion to conduct a new probe into the pDAF case, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales maintained that it is her office, not the DOJ, which has the final say on whether or not to recommend napoles as a state witness. she further noted that her office is not bound by the DOJ’s findings.

PH senators fly to France to strengthen ties with EU AMiD recent strains in the European Union (EU) and philippine government ties, the senate delegation from the latter country is headed to France to meet with the European bloc. “nine of us are supposed to see each other there. this trip is intended to strengthen philippines-France relations and through this hopefully, philippines-EU relations,” senator Aquilio “Koko” pimentel reported before flying to France for a state visit.

A staunch supporter of federal government, pimentel said that the visit is also a chance for him “to study up close and personal the French system of government, which is unique.”

in January this year, France sen. Gerard Miquel, along with four members of the French senate, visited the philippines as part of an effort to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Aside from pimentel, senators Loren Legarda, panfilo Lacson, Cynthia Villar, Miguel Zubiri, sherwin Gatchalian, JV Ejercito, and Joel Villanueva will be part of the philippine delegation.

Ejercito said the visit to France does not have a blessing from president Rodrigo Duterte. the disparity between the European bloc and the philippine governent started when Duterte rejected the $280-M aid from the EU, which he contends comes

with a condition and “the potential of affecting the autonomy of the country.” the tough-talking president has repeatedly lambasted the EU in several of his public speeches for criticizing the country’s war on drugs.

EU Ambassador Franz Jessen, however, said the philippine president’s decision to reject aid from the EU means losing about 250 million euros, or equivalent to p13.8 billion worth of grants, supposedly allocated mostly to Moro communities in Mindanao starting this year until 2020.

Maintaining his stance, Duterte said that the philippines can survive even without the aid from the EU. (AJPress)

PH gov’t rejects Maute hostage-swap...

Sen. Leila De Lima

Senate photo

truth will still come out in the end. in the meantime, i will continue to exhaust legal remedies to fight my illegal arrest and detention,” she added. the senator is facing separate illegal drug trading cases before Judge patria Manalastas-de Leon of Branch 206 and Judge Juanita Guerrero of Branch 204, commencing the senator’s arrest and detention on February 23.

(AJPress)

PAGE A5 He also asked for the public’s “troop morale remains very citing bombs found in houses or continued support and prayers high and we appeal to everyone buildings being cleared by the for the government’s victory to continue to support and pray military. against the extremists. for our troops,” Herrera said.

Trillanes to BBC: News about...

PAGE A5 stephen sackur, “Hardtalk’s” host, laid down the idea that Duterte is “well-liked” by most of the Filipinos, citing the president’s “high satisfaction ratings” amidst various allegations

really get to know the magnitude of the damage Duterte has done,” against him. trillanes said during the inter“the bulk of the Filipino peo- view. ple are not really aware on the After trillanes gave his explaground. the propaganda machine nation, sackur said that the senais very, very effective. the bulk of tor’s remarks were “out of tune” the Filipino public are busy with and inharmonious” with the sentitheir day-to-day living. they don’t ments of many Filipinos.

A

JUNE 29-JUly 5, 2017 • lAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAl

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL â&#x20AC;˘ JUNE 29-JULy 5, 2017

VEGAS&STYLE

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Journal

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a girl for Vic and Pauleen! by iza igLesias

Dr. Vicki Belo now legally Mrs. Hayden Kho

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

ManilaTimes.net

Only seven people witnessed the exchange of vows between Dr. Vicki Belo and long-time home companion Dr. Hayden Kho at a civil ceremony held at Vickiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house in DasmariĂąas Village, Makati City â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s close friend/confidante/adviser Joji Dingcong, agnes Ballesteros lopez and eroica Mendoza.

The innocent witness was Scarlet Snow, the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two-yearold daughter who is a trend-setter on social media, whose activities are religiously monitored by millions of followers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a very small and very private ceremony,â&#x20AC;? Vicki told Funfare, officiated by Makati City

â&#x20AC;&#x153;eaT Bulagaâ&#x20AC;? hosts and celebrity couple Vic Sotto and Pauleen luna are expecting a baby girl.

The noontime show posted a two-minute video on its social media accounts on Sunday where the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dabarkadsâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the nickname of eat Bulagaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gangâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;were split into two groups cheering for Team lebron, which meant they were rooting for a baby boy, and Team Jessica for baby girl.

Thereafter, Sotto and luna ate Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna ate chocolatechocolate-covered lollipop cakes covered lollipop cakes on video, revealing the revealing the color pink inside color pink inside, signifying a girl.

Filipina Maureen Wroblewitz wins â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Next Top Modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Maureen Wroblewitz on Wednesday, June 28 became the first contestant from the Philippines to win the â&#x20AC;&#x153;asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next Top Model â&#x20AC;? Season 5.

The 19-year old Filipina model bested Malaysiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shikin Gomez and Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mnh Tu nguyen in the final round. (Inquirer.net)

Photo from Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Next Top Model Facebook page

Dr. Vicki Belo and Hayden Kho with baby Scarlet Snow and Makati City Mayor Abby Binay.

Mayor abby Binay.

The big wedding is set for September in Paris. I suppose that only very few will be invited to what is predicted to be The Wedding of the year. So far, Vicki

has not sent out any invitations so the guessing game isâ&#x20AC;Śwho is in, who is out? (lolit Solis, are you in?) But for sure, Scarlet will be part of the entourage as Flower Girl.

;/, 9,(3 65, :;67 :/67 -69 (33 @6<9 )(*2@(9+ 5,,+: Photos from Pauleen Lunaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Instagram account

and signifying a girl. It was indeed a fun way to announce their babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gender to family, friends and fans.

Baby Jessica will be the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first child after they got married in January 2016 despite a 35-year age gap.

Sotto announced his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pregnancy in May also on the show after which their entire familyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the comedianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children from his previous marriage and relationshipsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;hide off to Balesin Island Club to celebrate his 63rd birthday. luna, who is now 28, posted a photo of herself with Sotto on Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day via Instagram sharing she cannot wait to add her little one to his family. Sottoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four children are Oyo and Danica with ex-wife Dina Bonnevie, and Vico and Paulina with former partners Coney reyes and angela luz, respectively. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day to the soon-to-be father of five! I know and see how much you love your children thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I am so excited for our little one to come! Grateful for your life, always!â&#x20AC;? luna wrote.

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Features

B June 29-July 5, 2017 • lAS VeGAS ASIAn JOuRnAl

Ryan Cayabyab brings OPM to Las Vegas Beloved Filipino songs will be performed by the exciting Ryan Cayabyab Singers Maestro ryan has written 11 musicals, 3 operas, numerous works for orchestras and choir, all with Filipino themes. His work truly represents the Filipino psyche, and has been lauded as world class and top caliber, reaping many awards such as a Gawad CCP awards, awit awards, aliw awards and even a Papal award for his contribution to the community through music.

Whether you are a fan of his hit songs like “Kay Ganda Ng ating Musika,” “tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka,” “Kailan,” and “Paraiso” or looking for a connection to your Filipino heritage, the Flamingo theatre at the Clark County Library on July 7 is the place to be. there is something for everyone in this concert that explores the eras of Maestro ryan’s career: from his popular tV show “ryan ryan Musikahan,” to his work with Basil Valdez, smokey Mountain and his musicals “Katy!” and opera “spoliarium.” this breadth of work will be performed with exceptional talents the ryan Cayabyab singers (rCs), whose impressive vocals will be sure to thrill from pop, big ballads, theatre, opera and rap. the group hands choreography deftly, including a nostalgic tap number. the ryan Cayabyab singers (rCs) is a diverse group of artists with different backgrounds. two of the current members have been with the rCs since its inception in 2007, the others joining one after the other through the years; all proudly celebrating the group’s 10th anniversary this July 7.

Contrary to assumptions, they are not students or scholars of ryan Cayabyab, or Mr. C as he is fondly called. each member had to undergo a combination of vocal, dance, and improv auditions. Mr. C wanted professionals who already had some sort of performing experience, but he particularly was on the lookout for unique styles and qualities. rCs is comprised of Celine Fabie, Nica tupas, Kaye tiuseco, Poppert Bernadas, anthony Castillo, VJ Caber and erwin Lacsa. at the time of the first auditions, Poppert Bernadas was still in college, as the captain of the UP badminton team. several years into rCs, he finished his Masters degree in Urban Planning from the same university. He is currently a

full-time theater actor and recording artist, having just released his first single in Manila with much success.

Kaye tiuseco was a member of the UP Concert Chorus and went on three world tours as a cultural ambassador. she left a corporate career when she got into the group, and then became a double degree holder in 2009. While she used to dabble in musical theater, she has since focused on her clinical practice as a speech-language pathologist. she is also a freelance writer, and has published two bestselling books.

Fresh from his travels with the Ust singers, erwin Lacsa joined the group in 2009. He is a frequent soloist at many wedding events in Manila and has been co-managing his own corporate/wedding band and group of artists. He is a musical director and has already written and arranged original music for musicals. He has also started dabbling into music production and recently completed his own recording studio. after graduating from college and her years with the ateneo College Glee Club, Celine Fabie went into musical theater before joining the group in 2010. she is a founding member of a community theater company, a singer for a jazz fusion band, and is a multiawarded author. Her first book, a biography of her grandmother titled “Mona Lisa: a Portrait,” won the National Book award in 2014. she also has two children’s books that raise awareness about the environment.

VJ Caber had previously been in popular boyband in Manila before being invited to audition for the rCs. He has been working as a vocal coach for many years, until he was tapped by his church to mentor their music ministry as well. He had also just led a workshop for his alma mater’s performing group.

Before entering the group in 2015, anthony Castillo enjoyed traveling for competitions as a member of the sLU Glee Club.

With friends from the same choir, they formed Pinopela, one of the country’s premiere contemporary acapella groups. He won his first international award as “Most Impressive soloist,” besting over 300 singers from all over asia, at the International acapella Championships held in singapore. He is a

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

All’s well that ends well with Gretchen Barretto and niece Claudia

by Arlo

Custodio ManilaTimes.net

Ryan Cayabyab

Mass Communications graduate, and does professional events hosting on the side.

Nica tupas was the vice president for music of teatro ateneo, the resident theatre company of ateneo de Davao Junior High school. she is the first scholar of Musikademy, Davao’s premiere music school. she has been in various live musical productions, and has starred in a film entitled, “sugat.” the film was featured in Cinema rehiyon, a national film festival by the National Commission on Culture and arts. Nica is an incoming 4th year voice major at the College of Music in UP Diliman. the ryan Cayabyab singers (rCs) is a diverse group of artists with different backgrounds. two of the current members have been with the rCs since its inception in 2007, the others joining one after the other through the years; all proudly celebrating the group’s 10th anniversary this July 7.

Maestro ryan Cayabyab and rCs perform on July 7 at sunday, at the Flamingo theatre of the Clark County Library located at 1401 e Flamingo rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119. For tickets call executive Producer Dr. Michael staJuana (516) 669-5834 and associate Producer randolph Umali (702) 985-5724. Pricing is $100 sponsor, $50 VIP, and $40 General admission. this tour’s major sponsors are Philippine airlines, tFC the Filipino Channel, asian Journal, the Law offices of Chris Navarro, and Wealth Financial Life. tour promoter is Music arts events Inc. Las Vegas major sponsors are : ace Promotions- Ms & Mr Fabulous 2017, seafood City and Chels Wellness International Corporation.

(Advertising Supplement)

oVer the weekend, social media was abuzz with Gretchen Barretto calling out her niece, up-and-coming recording artist Claudia, an “ungrateful child.” this was the controversial actress’ reaction to her sister Marjorie’s youngest daughter who, when asked to compare her singing voice with someone unnamed who was obviously Gretchen. replied, “I think we’re different naman. Like our songs and our voice, it is different so I don’t mind.” Claudia then added, “I mean, it’s nice to know that someone else actually sings.”

It was Gretchen who paved the way for Claudia and several other Barretto nieces and nephews to begin showbiz careers. During her younger days, Gretchen also tried her hand at singing but it was through the st (“sex trip”) era that she became goddess of the celluloid world. Her acting career went into a lull when she became involved with businessman tonyboy Cojuangco, with whom she had a daughter Dominique.

Cojuangco and Gretchen are still living together today. on Instagram, the former sexy star reminded Claudia that she provided a “safe home for a few good years” for Marjorie’s family until Claudine took over the responsibility, including sending them to school.

But on sunday, June 25,

Claudia Barretto

Gretchen Barretto

Gretchen who said she was in Hong Kong for the weekend, was less accusing, and requested her fans to refrain bashing her niece and let them “heal peacefully.” she further shared that her daughter, who is close to Claudia, called her. she wrote, “I am learning the very painful way that as a mother we must be selfless, we must forgo hurt and disappointment, we must be more understanding and patient, we must ignore the pain that our children make us feel, we must embrace them through their flaws and love them unconditionally. I do not want my Claudia to be bashed in any way. I beg for understanding and forgiveness. Please allow us to heal peacefully.” on the same day, the aspiring singer-recording artist, answered, addressing her aunt as “mama.”

“I just want you to know that what I said was never meant to

offend you or disrespect you,” explaining that her reply to a question during the bloggers’ conference was taken maliciously out of context. “as you know, I’m only starting my career and have yet to truly show my intelligence. It’s difficult to do that now because of how nervous I can get sometimes when I’m asked questions … I have yet to get used to it and have yet to learn how to use the correct words. However, I still believe that what I said not wrong. I hope you see the video, mama.”

Claudia’s single, “stay,” quickly climbed up the charts upon its release by Universal records late in May. she is excited that her second single will be released soon. she also said that she wants to be known as a singer, and becoming an actress like older sister Julia, is not in the horizon at the moment.

Vilma Santos to get Urian Lifetime Achievement Award VeteraN actress and politician Vilma santos will receive the Natatanging Urian Lifetime achievement award at the 40th Gawad Urian on July 20.

When asked why it is only now that Urian is giving Vilma the award, one of the award-giving body’s members, Dr. Nicanor tiongson, explained that it is because the award is given not exclusively to actors, but also to producers, cinematographers, and even makeup artists, or anyone who has contributed to the growth of the local filmmaking industry.

“It is no longer a question of why her. the Natatanging Urian is about excellence in cinema as personified by all elements in a film, so it is given not only to actors,” tiongson

said in a press conference in aBsCBN earlier.

Vilma, who has the most Urian awards for Best actress, was a controversial choice for Best actress after her character in “relasyon” famously beat Nora aunor’s “Himala” in 1982. according to tiongson, they chose Vilma over Nora that time because Vilma’s portrayal in “relasyon” was quiet and subtle yet powerful.

“We really saw the growth of her character and her relationship with other characters,” tiongson expounded.

He said all past winners, including Nora, who received the Natatanging Urian two years ago, were invited to the awards night.

Vilma Santos (Philstar.com)

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B

MoMA PRESENTS A NEW GOLDEN AGE: CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE CINEMA

Celebrating Filipino Films at the New York Museum of Modern Art

By MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

Film lovers, Filipino film lovers to be very specific, had a great time in New York as the museum of modern Art (momA) unveiled A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema, which aims to celebrate the diverse and styles of what is now considered as the third golden age of Philippine Cinema.

Characterized by a prolific and dizzying array of genres and styles, the ongoing Third Golden Age of Philippine cinema is celebrated in momA’s extensive, unprecedented survey, A New Golden Age, on view from June 1

through 25 in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. A total of 18 films by 13 directors were screened.

The aforementioned Third Golden Age of Philippine cinema spans from around 2000 to the present, following the first golden age, in the 1950s, and the second, from the 1970s to the early 1980s.

The Philippines’ current wave of sustained creativity is unusual in its diversity of style, audacious formal experimentation, and vibrant spirit of adventure.

Defying simple description, this variety of distinct cinematic statements makes it an exceptionally unique and largely unrecognized

‘Independencia’

‘Gemini’

‘Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank’ (The Woman in the Septic Tank)’

‘From What Is Before’

‘Clash’

‘Bunso’

‘Serbis’

movement.

“This is just a small sampling of recent Filipino films. We have a lot more but we had to choose and that was the hard part,” shared film writer Gil Quito, who co-wrote the Nora Aunor film ‘merika. Quito joined curator la Frances Hui, associate curator of momA’s Department of Film in coming up with this list of films.

“Unlike many film movements, his new wave is very hard to describe or define. it is a highly individualistic movement with a few common traits to bring the films together,” Hui said, as she introduced the opening film. “This is why contemporary Philippine cinema is unusually unique and exciting and also the reason why it is not as widely acknowledged and studied, as it should be. We hope that this series will change that.” momA highlights the stylistic mélange of the Third Golden Age with a wide-ranging selection of films—from the 2017 Sundance Special Jury Award–winner motherland (2017), which intimately explores the manilabased busiest maternity hospital in the world, to the works of acclaimed champion of slow cinema lav Diaz and gripping thrillers by prolific newcomer Ato Bautista.

Baby Factory The festival-like celebration opened with the sold out screening of motherland, a documentary by Ramona Diaz, the woman behind imelda, Don’t Stop Believing: Everyman’s Journey and The learning.

The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this January, provides an inside view of Fabella Hospital, the busiest maternity hospital in the Philippines. “it is such an honor to be opening the series and to be in the company of these other directors Brillante mendoza, lav Diaz, Raya martin, Ditsi Carolino, among others. Thank you for raising the profile of Philippine cinema,” Diaz said.

Her film tackled the friendships and relationships that formed among the new mothers in the busy hospital and shows how both the hospital employees and the patients cope with the challenges by coming up with creative ideas to meet their needs.

This cinematic wave is also typified by its raw reflection of the current political situation in the Philippines—with momA’s selection including Brillante ma’ Rosa (2016), which tracks the fate of petty drug dealers at the hands of a corrupt law enforcement system, and Clash (2009), whose plotline of a “strongman” city mayor who implements crime-fighting death squads mirrors headline-grabbing stories coming out of the Philippines today.

Finally, the New York audience was given a chance to watch Jaclyn Jose’s intense performance in ma’Rosa, which gave her a Best Actress award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

‘How To Disappear Completely’

‘Motherland’

Still photos from the films courtesy of MoMA

Motherland attracted a full house audience on the opening of “A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema” at the MoMA on June 1.

Photos courtesy of Motherland

Director, producer, writer, co-editor Ramona Diaz introduces her film.

During the talkback, Nadia Hallgren (left) describes their one-month experience in the maternity ward of Fabella. Ms Diaz (middle) shares her insights on the Philippine health system, and La Frances Hui (right) gives her thoughts on the film selection for the series.

Five of the filmmakers Ramona Diaz, Ato Bautista, lav Diaz, Raya martin, and isabel Sandoval were present for post-screening discussions of their work.

At the Q-and-A with Ramona Diaz, she revealed that motherland was born when she was in manila researching for another film that had something to do with reproductive rights.

“Someone told me to visit what was called the baby factory in manila (Dr. Jose Fabella memorial Hospital) because they said it is a must-see place if i was

‘Aparisyon (Apparition)’

working on reproductive health.

When i visited the place, i was just overwhelmed, i was taken by the place,” Diaz shared. “i knew my story was there, i had found my film and it was very clear to me.”

Fabella Hospital, the busiest maternity ward on the planet averages 60 births a day—and at its peak, as many as 100 babies within a 24-hour period.

“Fabella is the final safety net for very poor pregnant women, most of whom cannot afford either contraception or the $60

‘Balikbayan’

delivery fee. The images i saw at the hospital - the nurses who did their best to tame the noisy chaos of Emergency Room arrivals, the crowded corridors, the premature births and cramped recovery rooms with double occupancy of single beds – gripped me and wouldn’t let go,” Diaz added.

The momA series opening night was attended by representatives of the Philippine Consulate General, film enthusiasts from the community, academics, filmmakers and members of the local Fil-Am community.

EntErtainmEnt

B June 29-July 5, 2017 • lAS VeGAS ASIAn JOuRnAl

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Filipina jewelry designer invited to New York, Paris to promote Filipino creativity by deni

Rose BeRnARdo Philstar.com

A FILIPINA jewelry designer has been invited to go to New York and Paris this year to promote Filipino craftsmanship to the rest of the world.

Self-taught jewelry designer Tim Tam Ong revealed in a recent interview with Philstar.com how happy she is for being invited to showcase her creations that root from her deep love of the Philippines and its people.

“Therewas always happiness and excitement in me every time I would open my grandmother’s antique jewelry box I had a grand time touching and feeling the precious stones,” said Tim Tam, who was named after a brand of chocolates.

Her passion for jewelry making began when her husband brought her an intricate stone from Burma.

Since she did not know what to do with it, she sketched designs until she came up with her first necklace.

Since then, family and friends have been calling her to buy her designs. Thus, from a hobby, jewelry making has become her bread and butter. She eventually found herself artisans and goldsmiths from Bulacan and Laguna and established an atelier in LRI Plaza in Makati City.

To complement her skills, she recently took up a course at the Gemology Institute of America.

Today, Tim Tam’s designs reach as far as New York, Singapore and the Middle East.

Based on her experience, semiprecious stones like rubies and tanzanite are getting harder to mine, and therefore, are becoming collectors’ items.

She feels that gemstones will become lesser and lesser in the long run, and as the rules of economics go, the lower the supply,

the higher the price.

Depending on the quality, jades, rubies and sapphires most especially, can be more expensive than silver and gold, she said.

It is not only the stones’ quality that dictates its price, it is also hard to cut stones, so some cuts are more expensive than others.

Tim Tam gives as an example stones from Madagascar, the only place in the world that does the so-called “pineapple cut.”

“Every stone requires a different kind of cut, otherwise, its value is diminished, so the stone should come from the place specializing on such cutting,” she explained.

Besides cut and quality, she picks her stones based on the powers they emit—jade, for example, is not only good for collecting and investing but also for the well-being. It is believed to usher in health, prosperity, peace of mind and wealth.

“It’s also a good heirloom piece because its power can be transferred,” Tim Tam said.

Rubies, jade, and handmade carved stones are aplenty in Ong’s latest collection, “Wonderland,” which, as its name suggests, are inspired by happy and vibrant colors.

Featuring precious and semiprecious stones from travels in Australia, India, Myanmar, Russia, and Madagascar, and emeralds from Colombia, the “Wonderland” jewelry collection aims to bring one to a happy place when all seems gloomy—including the weather.

“It is inevitable to face challenges and disappointments in life,” Tim Tam explains in a statement. “It’s important to have a safe place that one can turn to when things get tough.”

This concept of a “haven” is beautifully and poignantly explained in a short narration that inspired the collection. The story

Pieces from Tim Tam Ong’s “Wonderland” collection.

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Philstar.com photos

Tim Tam Ong

tells the account of a little girl who followed a golden butterfly to a place called “Wonderland.”

Here, she finds happiness and courage—knowing that she could always go back to this place. The enchanting collection brings to life the spellbinding place that the little girl went to, containing images of a butterfly, flowers and leaves. The gemstones, on the other hand, mimic the colors that were swirling in Wonderland’s sky.

“It’s a collection filled with wonder and imagination.” Tim Tam enthuses in a statement. “It captures the imagination, hope and peacefulness that a child possesses. It also captures the beauty of inner peace. I hope that the pieces give its wearers the same happiness—or even more—that it gives me.”

Tim Tam and her team of artisans worked on making these images come alive by paying attention to the characteristics and movement of nature.

“We worked extra hard to capture the detail,” the designer explains in a report. “So for example, when we made the butterfly, we weren’t simply trying to create a semblance of a butterfly, we wanted to bring the butterfly to life.”

The designer also stresses the wearability of the pieces, pointing out that creativity, relatability and versatility are characteristics consciously incorporated when designing the pieces— traits that are also used to best describe the picture of Filipinos to the world.

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Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wutzbach turned fan girl when she met best-selling international author Lang Leav.

Pia Wurtzbach gushes over author Lang Leav by

Rosette Adel Philstar.com

MISS Universe 2015 Pia Wutzbach turned fan girl when she met best-selling international author Lang Leav.

The self-confessed Lang fan, took to Instagram her emotions after finally meeting the author.

“You guys have no idea how happy I was to finally meet @ langleav last night. I’m a big fan of her work,” the former beauty queen wrote in her post.

“Thank you, Lang for being so nice and sharing some advice &

words of wisdom. I wish you more success and I hope you touch the lives of many other readers like me. Maraming salamat!” she added.

Pia shared that Lang’s book kept her company during her stay in Miss Universe headquarters in New York City.

Like Pia, Lang also took to Twitter her message to Pia after their meetup. The author said she and Pia will meet in New Zealand soon.

“So lovely to catch up with you @PiaWurtzbach last night I had a wonderful time! Cant wait to

see you again in New Zealand,” Lang wrote.

Aside from Lang, Pia shared that she also spoke with another author, Michael Faudet over the phone. Michael is also the boyfriend of Lang.

Lang is known for her bestselling poetry books “Love & Misadventures,” “Lullabies” and Memories while Michael is known for his best-selling book “Dirty Pretty Things.”

Lang is in the country over the weekend to promote her newest novel “Sad Girls.”She had a book signing in Manila and Cebu.

DOT: PH will not host Miss Universe this year THIS year’s Miss Universe will not be held in the Philippines, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Teo announced on Thursday, June 22 at the sidelines of the International Conference on Sustainable Tourism for Development.

“No Miss Universe this year.

Baka (Maybe) next year,” Teo confirmed. She said that it may also be too soon to host another edition of the Miss Universe pageant in the country since it is scheduled for the last week of November.

Designer Rene Salud revealed in an interview with ABS-CBN that the country’s back-to-back hosting of the pageant would not

push through considering the situation in Marawi City.

He added that Solar Entertainment President Wilson Tieng advised Teo to dismiss the proposal since the Philippines is undergoing some challenges.

“Parang nag-advise si Wilson kay Sec [Teo] na huwag muna dahil sa success of the last Miss Universe last year is hard to... hard to get even with kung hindi man ma-even with hindi pwedeng ma-surpass, especially ngayon na there’s a Marawi incident baka marami ang ma-offend. (Wilson advised the Secretary to not host the pageant yet because the sucess of the last Miss Universe last year is hard

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to get even with, or surpass, especially now that there is an ongoing Marawi situation and that may offend some people),” Salud said.

Salud’s creations were featured in a Mindanao fashion show with selected Miss Universe delegates as part of last year’s pre-pageant activities.

The Philippines hosted the Miss Universe pageant thrice: in 1974, when Margie Moran turned over her title to Amparo Muñoz of Spain; in 1994, with India’s Sushmita Sen as the winner; and in January 2017 when Pia Wurtzbach crowned Iris Mittenaere of France. (With reports from Jennifer Soriano/AJPress)

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

Community Journal

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 29-JULy 5, 2017

Fate of DACA remains uncertain alendar of Events C across after similar program officially ends Your Immigration Solution Atty. BrittAny MilliAsseAu & nAncy Miller AFTER months of uncertainty regarding the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides immigration relief to certain young people who entered the country as children, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement that sparked excitement and hope in many immigrant communities.

In its memorandum issued last Thursday, June 22, DHS stated that the DACA program “will remain in effect.” Initially thought by immigration advocates to be a large victory and a change from the Trump Administration’s stricter stance on immigration enforcement priorities, the statement soon began to create uncertainty and confusion, rather than excitement.

A day after DHS’ seemingly optimistic statements regarding the program, officials explained that the statements were only meant to clarify that those enrolled in the program would not immediately be affected by the separate action ending the similar Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program. In last Thursday’s statement, DHS issued a memorandum rescinding the DAPA program, which was aimed at removing the threat of deportation for the immigrant parents of U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident children. Initially projected to provide a form of immigration relief to over four million immigrant parents, DAPA was never fully realized due to a slew of legal challenges.

Since last week’s statements, White House officials have further clarified that President Trump

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA

“had not made a decision about the long-term fate of the program” and could still potentially follow through on ending DACA which would potentially subject DACA recipients to deportation and take away their work authorization.

During his campaign, President Trump promised to “immediately terminate” the DACA program upon assuming his duties as President.

DHS’ rescission of DAPA came exactly five years after President Obama announced that his administration would take actions to mend the nation’s immigration policy to make it “more fair, more efficient, and more just –specifically for certain young people sometimes called Dreamers.”

In his June 2012 remarks, President Obama described the Dreamers as “young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge alliance to our flag. They are American in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper.” President Obama further explained “it makes no sense to expel talented young people, who, for all intents and purposes, are Americans.”

Five years later, the fate of the nearly 800,000 Dreamers still remain uncertain. While many have viewed President Trump as being more lenient on the Dreamers, a group that is viewed sympathetically by many Americans, he has not held a clear stance on the DACA program. He has however implied that he would not try to deport the Dreamers. Nevertheless, many immigrants are still reluctant to apply for DACA due to fear of being targeted for deportation should the program end. In recent months this fear has grown in many immigrant communities, especially as a result of the numerous highly publicized cases of DACA recipients being detained despite them being granted relief through the program.

DACA relief is available to

young people under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012 who: 1) entered the United States before June 15, 2007 and before turning age 16; (2) have resided in the United States continuously since at least June 15, 2007 and up to the present date; (3) are currently in high school, have graduated from high school or obtained a certificate of completion or GED, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or U.S. Armed Forces; and, (4) have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors and does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

While DACA relief does not confer lawful status and is not a pathway to permanent residency, recipients are eligible to receive work authorization and removal actions against them are deferred for a period of two years.

Despite the current administration’s mixed-signals regarding the DACA program, it is still in effect and initial and renewal applications continue to be accepted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, it is important to keep in mind that the program could end at any moment and DACA recipients could be at risk for deportation.

If you believe you may be eligible for DACA, it is important to consult with an experienced immigration attorney to discuss your legal options and determine whether DACA is the best and safest option for you at this time. *** 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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Calling a spade a spade “Speak the truth, but leave immediately after.”

- Slovenian Proverb

A FRIEND emailed me the prayer below. I had to do some fact-checking with some websites that do the digging about the veracity of email content that does the rounds in Cyberville. The internet is rife with rumors and it is always good policy to verify and dig deeper.

This prayer of repentance has gone viral and despite its longevity in cyberspace, refuses to die a natural death. My guess is that the prayer resonates with many in the country. The truth, as they said, will make us free. This prayer is probably worth amplifying and passing to others during a time when political correctness marginalizes the truth.

American society has been conditioned by popular culture to play nice to the extent that we are afraid to confront what must be addressed. Calling a spade a spade is risky in a time when we have strayed as far away as we could from the core values that held this country for more than 2 centuries.

Fifteen years ago on January 23, 1s996, in Topeka, Kansas, Pastor Joe Wright of the Central Christian Church in Wichita led a prayer in the Kansas House that stirred con-

troversy and continues to stir a hornet’s nest to this day.

It’s a prayer that made legislators, particularly those of the liberal persuasion, very uncomfortable. Pastor Wright said a prayer written by Bob Russell, a Pastor of another Christian church in Kentucky. A member of the legislative body walked out and others were vocal in their criticism of the prayer. Later that year, a lawmaker in Colorado repeated the prayer and some of his colleagues became angry and walked out in protest.

A radio personality, Paul Harvey, picked it up and aired the story and the prayer with some frequency. The response to the prayer is so overwhelmingly in favor of it, his phone system could not handle it.

Are you curious as to why a simple prayer can rile some lawmakers and make them uncomfortable? Are you curious as to why a simple prayer can be so controversial? Here it is in its entirety.

Judge for yourself.

A PRAYER FOR OUR NATION Heavenly Father,

Health@Heart

Debunking diet myths

PhiliP s. chuA, Md, FAcs, FPcs IN today’s health-oriented world, the four major players — diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol abuse – are in the spotlight.

Diet weighs heavily on this equation and has also been a subject of a lot of pervasive myths and misinformation. Today, we shall review some of the most popular misconception about diet.

Fasting is the best way to start Fasting is the wrong way to start, or even “punctuate,” your dieting schedule. Fasting has no place at all in controlling weight or quality of nutrition for our body. The temporary weight loss resulting from fasting is thru water loss (dehydration). The best way to maintain your weight is to burn the calories your take in daily (example: if you take in 2000 calories, you should exercise off 2000 calories that day). It is a matter of intake and output, an obvious common sense approach. If one is overweight and wants to lose weight, then the calories burned should be higher than the calories ingested, until the goal is reached…and at that

point, the maintenance intake and output formula should prevail.

Those who want to gain weight to reach the ideal weight, obviously, should have more intake than output of calories.

Low carb-high protein diet is best Not true. Those on low carbohydrate diet alone, but on high protein (meats, egss, etc) had good initial weight loss, but regained the weight after six to 12 months, as shown by some studies. They faired better than those on low fat diet, which is actually more healthy as far as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic illnesses and cancers are concerned. However, low carb diet, combined with low fat diet and exercise, has been found to be the best regimen. This means the diet mainly consists of fish and bean curd, beans, grains and nuts (as the main source of protein and oil) and a lot of green leafy and other vegetables, and fruits. Among diabetics, fruits should be included in the calculation of the total daily restricted calorie intake.

Enemas aids in dieting.

False! This is a myth that is unhealthy. Enemas for cleansing “to get rid of toxins in our body,” is not medically accepted

We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘’Woe to those who call evil good,’’ but that’s exactly what we have done.

We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it political savvy.

We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it PAGE B7

as a means of detoxification and weight control. To detoxify our body, the best way is to abstain from smoking, minimize alcohol intake and exposure to other toxic agents, eat a lot of vegetables, nuts, some fruits, and to exercise daily. There have been reports of deaths with frequent self-prescribed enemas. They could lead to diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, electrolyte imbalance, heartbeat irregularity, and bowel perforation. The so-called designer coffee enema for colon cleansing is not only expensive but also useless and very dangerous.

Eating late at night leads to more weight gain and fats This is no more true than the myth that Elvis Presley is alive.

Of course, it is best not to have a full stomach close to bedtime.

Going to bed 3 to 4 hours after a meal is fine. The calories taken at night have the same effect as those taken during the daytime.

While you burn less calories while sleeping, you lose these when you get up in the morning and start your daily routine, especially if you exercise every day.

“Slimming tea” works This is a myth. “Slimming Tea,” or other drinks that are advertised as effective for weight reduction, PAGE B6

B

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS J U Ly 7

Ryan Cayabyab and the Ryan Cayabyab Singers in concert in Las Vegas Maestro Ryan Cayabyab and the Ryan Cayabyab Singers (RCS) will hold a concert at the Flamingo Theatre of the Clark County Library at 7 p.m., with touring guest Annie Nepomuceno and special guest tenor Edward Granadosin. Front acts are Michael Perez and Esmeralda Padilla. Please call Dr. Mike Santa Juana at (516) 669-5834, Art Jerus (702) 738-8029 or Randolph Umali (702) 985-5724 for inquiries.

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United Batanguenos of Southern California Induction in Los Angeles The United Batanguenos of Southern California will hold its induction of officers on Saturday, July 8 at Casa Italiana in Los Angeles. Millie Moncada will be inducted as new governor. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For other related questions please call Millie at (818) 322-9429; Cely Anuran (805) 630-3377 or Willie Manacsa at (818) 400-7391. Casa Italiana is located at 1051 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

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11th Ambassadors’ Tour to Manila & Davao The 11th Ambassadors’ Tour will take place in the Philippines from July 11 to 16. Led by the Department of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism’s Tourism Promotions Board and Rajah Tours, the itinerary for the 11th Ambassadors’ Tour combines the best of Metropolitan Manila up North and the sprawling city of Davao in the South into one adventure-packed and enriching vacation experience. The four-day stay in Davao, the King City of the South and current seat of power in the Philippines, is a special highlight of this year’s event. Participants in this year’s tour will be presented with an opportunity to experience Davao up-close. It is a chance for the participants to revel in Davao’s picturesque landscapes through its nature parks, agricultural farms, and resorts, experience the diversity of its people through a series of courtesy calls with Philippine government officials, and feel the harmony of its culture through its heritage and cultural museums. Tailor-fit to tell the narrative of a new, safer, more beautiful Philippines, the tour will provide its participants with enough experience to engage their respective communities and leverage goodwill towards Filipinos and generate interest in the Philippines. Delegates who will be part of the program become “Filipino ambassadors” in their own right, carrying a fresh perspective and the message of a new and improved Philippines when they go back to the United States. As “Filipino Ambassadors,” this year’s delegates will be well-capable of showcasing the strides made in tourism, economic development, and public safety in the Philippines to the larger international community. For more information and to register, please visit http://www. acgtdt.com.

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Money Smart for Small Business in El Monte, CA Come to an introductory two-day business course designed for newer business owners, self-employed individuals, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Course topics include: startup planning, organizational types, risk management, credit reporting, business insurance, time & financial management, selling & succession planning, banking services for small businesses, recordkeeping, and tax & business planning. The curriculum is developed jointly by the FDIC and the SBA. It will be held on Saturday, July 15 and July 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cathay Bank (9650 Flair Dr., El Monte, CA 91731). The fee is $20 payable to Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP). Breakfast, lunch and course materials will be provided by Cathay Bank. There will be limited seating so advance registration is required. To register, please contact Colleen Seto at (213) 373-1605 or cseto@ltsc.org. Participants will be eligible for free business counseling by API SBP.

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LEAP’s 35th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) is proud to celebrate 35 years of ”Growing Leaders” on Thursday, July 20 and the leadership of individuals that exemplify LEAP’s mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders through leadership, empowerment, and policy. Proceeds from the event will be used to develop LEAP’s innovative leadership programs, cutting-edge public policy research, and nationwide community building. This year’s 35th Anniversary Celebration will be like no other gala that LEAP has had in the past. LEAP’s 35th Anniversary Celebration will be an eventful evening that will be both interactive and experiential. With an abundance of food and friends, LEAP will celebrate those who have shaped the organization, those who have been impacted by the organization, and those who continue to grow as Asian and Pacific Islander leaders and dream big. Honores for the individual leadership award include Fatima Bustos-Choy, Phd, founder of Gaia Flow Consulting and CEO And owner of Body & Brain Holistic Wellness Center; Kenneth Kasamatsu, advisor to the CEO, E-Central Credit Union / The Pacific Bridge Companies, and founder of Pacific Commerce Bank ; Geri Mannion, program director, U.S. Democracy and Special Opportunities Fund at Carnegie Corporation of New York; and Paul Ong, director of the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge at UCLA. The David R. Barclay Alumni Leadership Award will be presented to Scott Chan, program director for the Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement and Patricia A. Neilson, director of Asian American Student Success at University of Massachusetts Boston. The VIP & general reception will begin at 5 p.m., while the program is from 7 to 10 p.m. It will be held at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (244 South San Pedro Street Los Angeles, CA 90012). Attire is business. To RSVP, visit www.leap.org/celebration_tickets. For more information about registration, contact Mayta Lor at (213) 485-1422 x 4105 or mlor@leap.org.

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Filipino Caucus Family Retreat in Lake Hughes, CA The Filipino Caucus of the California Pacific Annual Conference (CALPAC) of the United Methodist Church (UMC) is inviting its members to a family retreat to be held from July 21 to 23. The venue will be the scenic Oak Camps and Conference Center (18651 Pine Canyon Road, Lake Hughes, California). The Rev. Dr. Bener Agtarap, Associate General Secretary of the UMC Board of Discipleship Ministry will be the resource person and guest speaker during the three- day gathering to be marked with group discussions and fellowship. “Rekindling the Flame” will be the theme of this retreat. According to Rev. Nelson Castorillo, the Filipino Caucus president, the goal of the retreat is re-igniting and rekindling the symbolic flame representing the spirit and unity of this growing group of Filipino-American Methodists and hoping this type of gathering will reenergize and revitalize the Church.

The Rosewood UMC, headed by Ding Lapus, is coordinating the event. He is assisted

by Noribel Taguba, Vicky Ignacio, Dennis Mañacop, Auring Garcia, John Umaguing, Revs.

Manny Predas and Lisa Santiago. Food and lodging for three days is $148 and $103 for children 7-12 years old. Check is payable to the Filipino Caucus, PO Box 10435, Glendale, CA 91209. For more information please call Rev. Nelson (909) 538-7606 or email at nelsonpreacher@gmail.com.

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

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 June 29-July 5, 2017 • lAS VeGAS ASIAn JOuRnAl

David Tupaz: Making waves in Las Vegas

By Monet

Lu

“Fashion is the extension of our personalities. it dignifies our humanity just like art and music. i believe in capturing elegance; Fashion is the extension of our personalities. it dignifies our humanity just like art and music. i believe in capturing elegance; an allure of romantic feminism with a tailored twist. it speaks of a modern dignified grace.” – David Tupaz If you have not heard of this hotshot Filipino designer causing ooohs and aaahs amongst A-listers on the red carpet, you are either living under the rock or you need to go to Vegas because that’s where he’s making waves now!

David Tupaz moved to Las Vegas in 2010 but before that, he lived in New York for a long time, then moved to California to design for different TV shows like “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Boston Legal.” Among those he dressed in Hollywood include Lucy Liu, Natalie Cole, Kris Kardashian-Jenner, Bruce Jenner, Lisa Rinna, William and Elizabeth Shatner, Allan and Tonya Thicke, David Foster, Tracie Kristin Chenoweth, Mariel Hemingway, Martin Sheen, Sofia Milos of “CSI Miami” and Mitzi Kapture of “Baywatch,” Bai Ling, Billy Zane, David Foster, Tracie and Scott Hamilton. Seems like the fashionistas of Los Angeles have David on speed dial when they are in need couturier.

In an online write-up, David was asked how he gets inspiration for his work and he replied: ”You get inspired from events, occasions, music, movie, TV show, friends… all of us can get inspiration because the universe by itself is one big art. I think the universe, as we see the stars and the planets and the comets… I mean that’s art right there. And I think being artists, a lot of us are sometimes not understood, a lot of artists are denied being understood… why, because most of us are kinda weird. Being artists and creative people, we see things differently than the ordinary person.”

Vegas, make way for David!

You would think that with all the frills that come with rubbing elbows with famous celebrities, leaving California was not an option for David. Wrong! In fact, what made him leave for Vegas is what

kept many designers in fashionable cities such LA or New York: competition. Not that he would shy away from that, but because as much as there’s a lucrative business (not to mention, fame) in such cities, there’s also complacency to tap potential market in some cities.

And that’s what David saw potential in the city the never sleeps. He saw potential and he just made a move for it. Now he has his own design studio, was hailed as 2015 International Designer of the Year, and has a holiday named after his name, called “David Tupaz Day.” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman proclaimed June 3rd as David’s day to recognize his great contribution to the city’s fashion industry.

In 2011, David established a non-profit organization called the Las Vegas Design Council to help the creative growth of the local designers to build an industry in the city.

“I came to Vegas. I realized that Las Vegas is a city by itself.

It has so many districts and so many places. It is not only where the casinos are or where the hotels are. There are so many people living in this city that there’s a lot of potential. I found out they don’t have a fashion industry which I said well, why can’t I pioneer that.

So that’s the reason why I moved,” he said.

As a magazine editor-in-chief, he recently launched the fashion industry in Las Vegas through its first

fashion magazine called L’VEGUE, a quarterly magazine highlighting all the talented creative people who live in the city. He was on the front page of the Review Journal’s Business section (their version of the L.A. Times), then again in the Las Vegas Business magazine, and was interviewed on Channel 13 TV News, as well as the TV show ‘Morning Blend’ and Channel 5 Morning News. As for his future projects, David has an upcoming fashion show in New York and Portland, Oregon.

David is unstoppable and there’s plenty more we haven’t seen. Because, just like he said, “The future Calvin Klein can come from here knowing how glamorous the city is.” And frankly, my friends, he is well on his way of making that happen very very soon.

Good luck to you David and may you continue to make a name in Vegas! Your Kababayans are proud of you. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

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.

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

Iñigo Pascual: the next Gary V?

by Maridol

ranoa-BisMark Philstar.com

YOU do not tell Iñigo Pascual to do things just because he has an image to keep. He will balk and break free.

That is exactly what he did three years ago in the U.S., as a member of a band whose handlers wanted him to be what he is not.

“They wanted me to cut my hair, Mohawk style (both sides of the head are shaven, with only a strip of hair in the middle). It’s a weird cut,” he recalls.

Iñigo was then 16, excited to find himself. Then someone comes along to tell him this is what he should look like? He just had to put his foot down and say no.

He adds that he is not alone.

Other artists in the US — like Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus – he says, have rebelled because people want to turn them into something they are not.

That is why Piolo Pascual’s 19-year-old son is overjoyed he can dye his hair blonde because he feels like it. Iñigo knows others frown on his experimental look.

But that would not rob him of the happiness he feels by expressing himself.

“They say it looks bad. But I’ll do it because I’m confident in what I do.”

With music being an extension of himself, Iñigo applies the same principle when he writes songs and performs them. He takes his guitar, plays the chord progression, and puts lyrics to them.

Then, he brings his work to the recording studio, and asks Gabriel ‘Gab’ Tagadtad to add rap elements. The result is “Dahil Sa‘yo,” a bouncy song that zoomed to number one in the Billboard Philippines charts.

Foreigners lip sync the song, and dance challenges have been created around it.

The “The Voice Teens Philippines” bet Mikko Estrada sur-

Iñigo Pascual

prised Iñigo by performing the song during his blind auditions.

True, “Dahil Sa ‘yo” speaks of love that moves mountains, the kind teens like Iñigo and Mikko can relate to. But Iñigo meant it to be something else — a tribute to God. Take a look at the chorus: “Dahil sa ‘yo ako’ymatapang / dahil sa ‘yo ako’y lalaban/ para sa’yo pagmamahal na walang katapusan.”

Iñigo adopts the spirit of Gary Valenciano’s praise songs by dedicating his chart topper to a Higher Power responsible for everything good in his world.

“The song has a special meaning to me. I’m thankful to Him because He’s always by my side. He gave me the ability to sing. What else can I do but thank Him?” Iñigo’s godly side keeps him from letting success get the better of him. In fact, his models in this area are international artists who remain humble despite the many hits to their name.

“We have no right to act in a certain way because you see how humble they are even if they’re bigger than us.”

The thought that he is not there

yet makes Iñigo strive for greater growth.

He watches K-pop videos and saw South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo‘s concert in Korea to get fresh ideas. He also wants to learn Spanish songs, since they are getting bigger these days.

Yes, music is Iñigo’s playground, a place where he can do what his heart desires. That is why “Inigo’s Playground,” the title of his digital concert on Sunday, July 2, 6 p.m. on Onemusic.ph (live in the ABS-CBN studio) is most apt.

“I wanna show my playful side.

I want to show who I am as musician, as a person and performer.

I’ll be doing covers and original songs from my album.”

He is excited for the K-pop medley and promises a lot of dancing along the way.

And like the diamond symbol he chose as part of his digital conference’s logo, he vows to promote only what is strong and positive – like love and hope, among others.

This should be an interesting way to usher in a new week, and welcome the challenges another new month brings.

Jasmine Curtis-Smith tightens grip of ‘millennial star’ moniker by arlo

Custodio ManilaTimes.net

HAD she decided to sign a contract with ABS-CBN, Jasmine Curtis-Smith may have well forever been tagged as the “younger sister of Anne Curtis.” For even out of the shadows of her ate, Curtis-Smith can’t shake off the familial strings. However, when it comes to career, she has been able to hold her own as TV5’s most important star.

She first signed a three-year exclusive contract with the Manuel Pangilinan-led network in 2010, renewed it in 2016, and maintained her stature as the one of the company’s Primetime Princesses up to this day.

Now 23, the younger of the beautiful Filipino-Australian sisters has collected two acting awards to her name – as Best Actress in the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival entry “Baka Bukas” and Best Supporting Actress in the 2013 Cinemalaya Festival OFWs in Israelinspired movie “Transit.”

In 2012, she was tapped as “American Idol Season 7” runner-up David Archuleta’s leading lady when he starred in a TV5 series. She also starred in the psychological thriller “Puti” in 2013, besides Transit, which was

PAGE B5

Jasmine Curtis-Smith

the Philippines’ entry to the 86th Oscars Best Foreign Language Film.

She then acted opposite Superstar Nora Aunor in the horror movie “Dementia,” and played Andrea in “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo” in 2014.

Just this year, she was in the cast of the indie romantic comedy “I’m Drunk I Love You” with Maja Salvador, Paulo Avelino and

Dominic Roco.

According to the young actress, however, it is the webisode “Forever Sucks” on TV5’s digital channel D5Studio, which she finds most rewarding these days as an artist. Now on its third season, the show’s creators have allowed her to be more involved in the story whether she shares her ideas during casual or inspiring PAGE B7

Debunking diet...

are per se, useless and a waste of money. Any beverage, so long as they are zero calorie drinks, can help in weight reduction, if taken in lieu of a ton of calories. And I repeat, in lieu of. Not together with thousands of calories. If you drink them and still eat more calories than you burn, then you will gain weight, regardless of what fluid you drink. There is absolutely NO beverage on the market that will lead to weight reduction, per se. There is no easy solution to overweight; it takes education, discipline, determination and hard work. But the dividends are worth the sacrifices.

Drinking a lot of water leads to weight gain Only if you heart or kidney is not healthy. Heart or kidney failure patients tend to retain water, so water restriction is part of the treatment among many of them. However, for someone who is otherwise healthy except for excess body weight, drinking two glasses of water before each meal is a great strategy in appetite and calorie control (it “fools” the brain into thinking the stomach is already full), which reduces the food intake, and, subsequently, the weight. The recommended fluid intake is at least 8 glasses of water a day. However, if the beverage ingested is loaded with a lot of calories (like regular cola

drinks, fruit drinks, smoothies, etc.), then rapid weight gain results. Fruits juices (fresh fruits are better than the juice) should be limited to 4 oz a day since it has a high concentration of added sugar. Sugar-loaded pop beverages are among the top culprits in the calorie explosion of today, and should be avoided.

Purified water is the healthier and cheaper universal beverage for all seasons.

Eating grapefruit will help burn body fats A caveat to remember: there is no food known to man today that can burn or “melt” body fats, or that can reduce weight without proper dieting. Eating grapefruit is good, if done (again) in lieu of eating tons of calories.

Grapefruits, like many fruits and multi-colored and green leafy vegetables, are loaded with good anti-oxidants that protect our body from the ravages caused by free radicals. So, eating them daily is healthy for us, but for fat and weight reduction, the only guaranteed formula is our basic common sense principle: output must be equal to intake (calories taken in = calories burned) in order to maintain a certain weight.

And you can extrapolate from there to suit your personal goal.

Are sodas/soft drinks safe?

Soft drinks, regular or diet, cola or uncola, caffeinated or

not, are not only unhealthy but toxic to the body, especially for children. They increase the risk for the development of metabolic syndrome, number one killer among diseases. For those on a diet, drinking soft drinks is like pouring water on someone who is already drowning. Taxes for soft drinks, like taxes for cigarettes, are being increased through legislation to discourage people from using these toxic agents.

Diet without exercise While dieting or watching our diet, pushing ourselves away from the dining table less than full to maintain a healthy weight, body, and mind, doing this disciplined strategy, adding exercise to this healthy lifestyle regimen, more than triple its beneficial effects as far as boosting our immune system, our physiology, disease prevention, and overall well-being for health and longevity. *** 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

EntErtainmEnt

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

Maine returns refreshed from Maldives vacation

by Tessa

MauRicioa-aRRioLa

ManilaTimes.net

It has been a week since Maine Mendoza returned from her holiday on the island of Maldives where the rich and famous like to frolic, and the actress is happy to say she feels refreshed and ready to face showbiz once again.

For someone whose fame happened almost overnight, Mendoza has never hidden the fact that she finds it difficult to deal with the controversies that come with her celebrity status.

As such, she left in a bit of rush for her Maldives sojourn, eager to escape from the growing buzz regarding her decision to deactivate her twitter account earlier this month.

Catching up with the actress in an interview for her latest tVC for CDO Funtastyk Young Pork tocino, she chose not to comment on the Cadayona issue [even as tattle tales were mistaken to spread rumors the comedian would follow her to Maldives], but readily explained why she decided to shut down her widely followed social media account.

She denied she did so not because of her bashers, but mainly because she wanted to end fighting among her followers. She related how she felt sad over fans starting arguments themselves online until a non-issue gets blown out of proportion.

Mendoza remembers how social media was such a friendly place not too long ago, and that which catapulted her accidental love team with Alden Richards— best known as “AlDub”—to its phenomenal status on “Eat Bulaga’s” Kalyeserye segment.

Regretting how things have changed since, she is still hopeful social media will return to what she believes should be a place for people to have fun and get along.

All the same, the prime-time star of GMA Network’s ‘Destined to be Yours’ still cannot believe to this day how from a virtual unknown, she became one of the country’s biggest stars.

“Sobrang bilis talaga ng mga nangyari sa amin ni Alden (Richards),” she said again.

Indeed, it has has only been two years since she joined show business, and apparently tV’s Yaya Dub still needs to get used to all the fame. “Parang hindi ko pa rin ma-fathom kung ano ba ang meron. Bakit ako?”

She said she still has no idea what it is about her that the pub-

lic loves and trusts.

“Honestly, hindi ko po alam.

Parang isang question sa akin yun na hindi ko po masasagot.”

And no matter how rabid some of her followers may be, she is simply grateful to all of them who number way beyond the thousands for making her who she is today.

Mendoza especially realizes the overwhelming support of her fans whenever she endorses a product.

“Kapag nakikita na may bago akong endorsements, talagang sinusuportahan nila,” she acknowledged to the good fortune of her principals.

She is also grateful to companies who continue to recognize her draw and positive influence on the public.

“Nakakatuwa po kasi patuloy pa rin silang nagtitiwala sa akin.

Gaya itong CDO, first year ko pa lang sa showbiz, nakuha na nila ko. Hanggang ngayon. Parang isa siya sa mga unang endorsements ko at nagtiwala sa akin.”

She then went on to talk about her latest campaign for the meat brand where everyone teases her about having found her “forever” on social media sites.

“Very unique ng concept.

Parang ilo-launch nila na very mysterious sa tao. Kung ano nga ba ‘to, anong klaseng beauty product na bandang huli, malalaman nila na tocino pala, pagkain.

I think, it’s very fresh for the consumers and for the viewers to see this kind of campaign.”

Hoping she can return the confidence of her principals in every project she takes on, and more importantly continue to please and entertain her fans, Mendoza promises to give her hundred percent all the time in everything she does.

Moreover, she keeps it mind that showbiz is not forever, which is also the very reason why she makes it a point to take off from all its stress and controversies like she did in Maldives. Her getaways help her stay both grounded and healthy.

“Kasi po, hindi ko naman pinangarap na mapunta sa ganitong posisyon. Kasi, akala po siguro ng iba, madali siya, very relaxed. Akala po siguro nila, puro glitz and glamour, walang paghihirap sa ganitong buhay.

Siyempre, meron din po siyang downside ng pagiging artista,” she honestly expressed.

In ending, she mused, “Siguro ito yung isang bagay na hindi ka dapat malunod. Kasi, pana-panahon lang din naman po ‘yan. Ang

Calling a spade a spade PAGE B5 ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have

been sent here by the people of this state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will.

I ask in in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Jasmine Curtis-Smith tightens grip of...

PAGE B6 conversations.

“Everyone of us on the set—the producers, production staff, crewmen, our director Joel Ferrer and the cast—are like a close knit of friends but at the same time, very professional. We’re always joking around and often get reminded of our time restrictions for the day.

As we balance our time for the project, it feels like home when I’m on the set,” she said. the actress revealed that she has become very attached to her character Izabel, the 170-year-old vampire pretending to be a normal 21-year-old who works in the graveyard shift of a call center.

“I love Izabel and her story through and through. Her emotions are so pure and her history so heavy. I empathize with her so much that I look forward to tapings just so I could play Izzy again for the day,” she enthused.

Would she change anything about her character if given the chance to have an input in the direction of the story?

“I don’t think I’d change anything with her. It is evident that even our audience has formed an attachment to her life and especially her personal life,” she answered.

She said her input comes in when they do the scenes and after speaking to their director.

“Sometimes ideas pop up while he tells me how he interpreted the scene, and he’s always game to try our suggestions. that always makes us feel involved more than

we already are, a sense of really owning our characters, story, and the entire project.” the young actress added that she is not at all surprised with the solid, steady following of Forever Sucks, particularly with millennials that comprise much of its audience. “the concept of the show is refreshing for millennials. It’s neither heavy nor shallow. It’s symbolic and also easy on the mind,” she pointed out. “the timing is quicker than your regular series and so it doesn’t feel like a drag to watch.

Everyone behind the show is emotionally invested ensuring the authenticity of everything we do. I also think it’s the collective feeling we have on set that translates on the screen.”

As for the prospects of returning for a fourth season or even a possible movie adaptation of the hit web series, Curtis-Smith said she and the rest of the cast and crew would be thrilled if it materializes.

“I would definitely love a fourth season. A movie? It would be interesting. Given that the material flow would still justify all the characters and Forever Sucks in totality from its original beginnings, we would love that for sure.”

In the third season that premieres in July, Izabela and Kiko (Felix Roco) struggle with the realization that it’s hard to keep a romantic liaison between a human and a vampire burning, sans sunlight.

Maine Mendoza

sa akin na lang, habang nasa ‘yo, enjoy mo.”

And so, as everyone welcomed her back to work, Maine Mendoza assured everyone that she is ready to face another round of whatever Showbiz may bring her way.

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 29-JULy 5, 2017

B

Pokwang under ‘house arrest’

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

JuSt came back from a quickie weekend trip to tagbilaran to visit my friend Raoul tidalgo who flew back from texas after undergoing a radical (read: life-changing) surgery. I was with another friend, Edmund Silvestre, who was Raoul’s colleague at New York-based the Filipino Reporter and has been a StAR correspondent for the longest time. they have retired and resettled back home after more than two decades of chasing after deadlines in the Big Apple.

Sunday morning, Raoul treated Edmund and me to what he described as a “heavenly” breakfast at the Amarela, less than an hour drive from the Bohol tropics Resort (more on it much later) where we were billeted. there, we met Charito “Chat” Subong and her Swedish husband and their 16year-old son (sorry, wasn’t able to get their names since they were in a hurry for a tour), with another man who turned out to be Chat’s brother.

“I am Pokwang’s sister,” Chat introduced herself after shyly dilly-dallying in asking for a selfie (and “groupie”) with us. the introduction was, well, not a surprise. Although much smaller (barely five feet) than Pokwang (real name: Marietta Subong), Chat is a carbon copy of Pokwang and easily endeared herself to us with her Pokwang-like mien, very comic as Pokwang.

Chat and her Swedish partner and their 16-year-old son are visiting from Sweden, staying at

Pokwang’s three-storey house in Antipolo City. they were in Bohol for an R&R. She said that she has been living and working for 27 years in Sweden where she met her partner.

“Pero hindi ako natutong magsalita ng Swedish,” Chat laughed ala-Pokwang. “Hindi rin ako marunong mag-English,” adding as if the joke was on her.

Asked how Pokwang was, Chat answered in tagalog, “Hayun, nasa bahay parating nakahiga.

Lumalabas lang ng kuwarto para kumain. Buntis kasi, eh.” In a sense, Pokwang is, well, under “house arrest.”

“Nakakulong lang siya sa kuwarto,” she added.

It’s understandable because after suffering from a miscarriage two years ago, Pokwang is again expecting her and American boyfriend Lee O’Brian’s second baby. So delicate is her two-month pregnancy that her doctor advised her to take an extended bed rest.

Pokwang then took a leave from her Kapamilya shows FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and Banana Sundae.

After all, she’s already 42, not 46 as reported. Lee, also 42, has appeared in Hollywood movies including the 2005 romancedrama Happy Endings (starring Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jesse Bradford and Jason Ritter). He and Pokwang met (and matched) during the shoot of Star Cinema’s Edsa Woolworth (Pokwang in the title role) in 2014 in San Francisco Bay Area where Lee comes from.

Pokwang and Lee are engaged and their wedding might have

Pokwang and American boyfriend Lee O’Brian: The baby first before the wedding.

to wait until after they have the baby.

“Ako ang talagang 46,” Chat confirmed, adding still in tagalog.

“Dose kaming magkakapatid.

Pokwang was also an OFW in Japan where she was when her little son died. Hindi sya pinayagang umuwi ng amo niya. Mabait si Pokwang. She really helps our family. She’s taking care of our mother who is showing signs of Alzheimer’s.” told that, while Pokwang is on maternity leave, she could replace Pokwang in her shows, Chat broke into a Pokwang-reminiscent smile and exclaimed, “Puede bakit hindi!” and then laughed and laughed as her partner and their son looked on clueless.

B June 29-July 5, 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ lAS VeGAS ASIAn JOuRnAl

http://www.asianjournal.com â&#x20AC;˘ (702) 792-6678

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