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Volume 28 - No. 8 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

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DFA chief tells UN: ‘We won’t be kind, we’ll destroy criminals’

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

foreign secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. maintained that the Philippines will “not hesitate to destroy criminals” despite criticisms against President rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war against illegal drugs.

During the 34th session of the United nations human rights Council (UnhrC) in geneva, switzerland, Yasay pointed out that the widespread magnitude of the drug problem in the country must be “swiftly and effectively dealt with,” or it will “inexorably lead the Philippines to becoming a narco state.”

PAGE A2 Inquirer.net photo

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr.

USA

DATELINE US-PH alliance remains strong amid concerns over foreign policies, says US envoy from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

A toP diplomat on tuesday, february 28, reassured that the relationship between the United states and the Philippines remain strong amid rising concerns over Washington’s and manila’s new respective foreign policies. “i can assure you that the alliance remains strong,” U.s. Ambassador to the Philippines sung Kim said.

During the management Association of the Philippines’s general membership meeting in makati City, Kim clarified that Washington has no problems with manila seeking closer ties with Beijing. “the U.s. has no problems with the Phil-

Pacquiao vs Khan match set on May 20

by Dana

M. SioSon /AJPress

filiPino boxing champion manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s next fight will be against Britain’s Amir Khan, his adviser, michael Koncz, disclosed on Wednesday, march 1.

According to Koncz, instead of the earlier announced date of April 23, Pacquiao’s next match was rescheduled to may.

“We decided to move

it to may 19 here [in las Vegas] and may 20 in the United [Arab] emirates so we’d have time to promote it properly and make it a huge success,” Koncz told Yahoo sports. top rank chief executive Bob Arum earlier endorsed Pacquiao’s match against Australian Jeff horn in April at the suncorp stadium, but

Fil-Ams respond to Trump highlights, including contentious immigration policies

the election of President Donald trump has been nothing short of controversial. his celebrity persona, lack of experience in public office and his many infamous gaffes before and during the election struck a chord with many Americans who believe that the reality tV star is unqualified to run the nation.

And his first month since being inaugurated has been no different. trump immediately began working on his campaign promises, signing a whopping 12 executive orders as of february 10, many of which have sweeping effects on many Americans, including the filipino-American community.

PAGE A4

Liberal Party senators removed from PH Senate majority, committee posts

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

seVerAl liberal Party (lP) senators have lost their committee chairmanships and were kicked out of the majority bloc during the senate reorganization on monday, february 27. on senator manny Pacquiao’s motion, lP senator franklin Drilon was removed from his post as senate President Protempore.

Drilon, who second Pacquiao’s motion, was replaced by senator ralph recto, who switched to the majority from being the minority leader.

Pacquiao also moved the chairmanships of the committees on agriculture and education, which were both chaired by lP members, be declared OATH OF OFFICE. Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III administers the oath of office to Senator Ralph Recto as new Senate President Pro-Tempore on Monday, Feb. 2 PAGE A2 Senate photo by Ariel Cagadas

Duterte denies existence of ‘death squad’ but admits hundreds killed in Davao

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

PAGE A3

Trump acts on campaign promises in first month in office

PAGE A2

MAJORITY RULE. Senators vote on Monday, Feb. 27 to replace Sen. Franklin Drilon with Sen. Ralph Recto as Senate president pro tempore after a motion by Sen. Manny Pacquiao. Senators Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Risa Hontiveros were stripped of their committee chairmanships and relegated to the minority bloc.

Photo from the Office of Sen. Manny Pacquiao

in light of revelations by an alleged former death squad leader, Philippine President rodrigo has acknowledged that hundreds of criminals were killed when he was still the WBO world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan say they mayor of Davao City. “i did not deny that hundreds have agreed to terms for a fight on April 23.

Inquirer.net photo

of criminals died in Davao City. sa 23 years ko? eh talagang naubos (in my 23 years? They were really eliminated),” Duterte told reporters during a media briefing at the malacañang grounds on monday, february 28. last week, alleged leader of the so-called Davao Death squad (DDs) and retired sPo3 Arturo lascañas testified that

then-mayor Duterte personally directed the group to perform killings, usually of drug dealers and criminals, in exchange for money.

Despite acknowledging the killings, Duterte, however, insisted that no such task force like the DDs was formed. “there is no task force. You PAGE A2

Trump talks immigration in joint speech to Congress Pres. puts hold on revised travel ban

by Klarize

MeDenilla AJPress

immigrAtion continues to be one of the most contentious issues of President Donald trump’s administration, so it was no surprise he reiterated his immigration plans and rhetoric in his joint speech to Congress on tuesday, february 28. in his speech, the president acknowledged the country’s history in civil rights and race relations among minority groups, including immigrants. in an effort to bring the nation together, he referenced recent

events in which minorities have been the target of violence and hate. “recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms,” the president said. the Kansas shooting —which actually took place in olathe, Kansas—involved a white, male shooter telling two india-born In his first joint address to Congress this on Tuesday, Feb. 28, Pres. Donald Trump declared a Photo from White House’s Twitter account PAGE A4 “new chapter of American greatness.”

A

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From The FronT Page

DFA chief tells UN: ‘We won’t...

PAGE A1 “There can be no middle ground for the well-being of our people.

We will not be kind,� Yasay remarked. “We will not hesitate to destroy criminals who seek the wholesale destruction of our society.�

In his speech on Monday, February 27, Yasay emphasized that drug lords and their syndicates in the Philippines are not only “destroying our young men and women� but are also “violently breaking our families apart and wreaking havoc upon our communities.�

Since Duterte took office last July, more than 7,000 people have been reportedly killed after the government launched its attack against illegal drugs.

Different local and international human rights groups, including the UN, have expressed their concerns over the alleged spate killings, warning the Philippine government of possible human rights violations.

Last year, UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard described Duterte’s directives on the drug war as “irresponsible in the extreme and amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law.�

Yasay, on Monday, lamented how international observers are “more focused on the so-called human rights of criminals� but “have done nothing to help in eliminating the drug problem that has grown to pandemic proportions.� “When the drug menace results in maiming or killing our people, and destroying the nation, it is the ultimate in violating our human rights,� Yasay stressed.

He said that the lives of the Filipino youth “have been ruined and their future compromised by these drug merchants of death and their collaborators and accomplices.� “This is the right thing to do and we will do so with toughness and

without ambivalence or equivocation,� he added.

Yasay also affirmed that the Duterte administration adheres to “due process and strict observance of the rule of law and to the country’s obligations under existing human rights treaties.� “As a matter of practice, all law enforcers are held to abide by established procedures. Human rights enforcers ensure that operational protocols are aligned with the law and existing international practices, which are to be strictly followed,� he emphasized.

The foreign secretary then called on its critics to allow the Phillippines to deal with its own domestic challenges in order to achieve its “national goals without undue interference.� “Like any other country, we want safe communities that will develop and nurture our people — especially our young — into becoming citizens, who are fully abloom with their potentials,� PEACE CONVENTION. Former President Gloria Arroyo addresses the opening plenary session of the Global Peace convention held in Pasay City. To her left is foundation chairman Hyun Jin Moon. At right is South Korea’s former Finance minister Kim Jin-Pyo. Yasay added.

Pacquiao vs Khan match set on...

PAGE A1 Koncz confirmed on Wednesday that Arum is “in full support of Manny fighting Amir in the United Arab Emirates.� “We’ll be able to properly promote it and while it will be a Friday

in the U.S., it will be a Saturday there. We were going to do it originally on a Sunday there, but that’s the start of their work week and we didn’t feel at the end of the day that would make as much sense,� Koncz said.

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In a poll on February 12, Pacquiao, with a record of 59-6-2 win-loss-draw, asked his Twitter followers who should be his next opponent, citing the UAE as the venue.

Khan, with a record of 31-4-0, was the runaway winner of the survey. Khan gained 48 percent of the more than 44,800 total votes. “When I saw Amir ran away with it, I figured most of the votes from from England and a lot of them came from the [UAE], but they told me that 86 percent of them were from the U.S.,� Koncz said.

Meanwhile, Horn only received 7 percent, while Kell Brook and Terence Crawford got 24 percent and 21 percent, respectively. “That meant a lot. Obviously, Amir’s a big name in the U.S., too, as well as in England [where he lives] and people saw it for what it is: A toss-up fight against two fasthanded guys,� Koncz added.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Khan shared his excitement to collide against Pacquiao, who also was also his former training partner. “Manny and I are friends but I think I have my youth, and I’ve been a two-division champion,�

Khan said.

Karagdagang kaalaman sa Filipino (Tagalog) ay makikita rin sa website ng Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa: www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote.

NOTICE TO ELECTORS OF CLOSE OF REGISTRATION FOR THE MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTIONS TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 IN HENDERSON, LAS VEGAS, NORTH LAS VEGAS, BOULDER CITY REGISTRATION CLOSES TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that voter registration for the Municipal Primary Elections to be held on April 4, 2017, will close on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. $Q\ TXDOLÂżHG HOHFWRU ZKRVH QDPH GRHV QRW DSSHDU RQ WKH RIÂżFLDO UHJLVWU\ OLVW PD\ DSSO\ WR UHJLVWHU E\ DSSHDULQJ at the Clark County Election Department, 500 South Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas; Clark County Election &HQWHU 7UDGH 'ULYH 6XLWH $ 1RUWK /DV 9HJDV WKH DSSURSULDWH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH DQ\ EUDQFK RI WKH Department of Motor Vehicles; or by appearing before a Field Registrar in the manner provided by law. The Clark County Election Department is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Voter registration applications will be accepted by mail or in person up until 31 days before the election. Thereafter XQWLO GD\V EHIRUH WKH HOHFWLRQ YRWHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ DSSOLFDWLRQV PXVW EH ÂżOHG LQ SHUVRQ DW WKH DSSURSULDWH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH RQO\ Online Registration $Q\ HOLJLEOH &ODUN &RXQW\ UHVLGHQW ZKR KDV D 1HYDGD GULYHUÂśV OLFHQVH RU DQ LGHQWLÂżFDWLRQ FDUG LVVXHG E\ WKH Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles can now register or update his/her registration information online.

To register or update your information online, go to the Clark County Election Department website at www. clarkcountynv.gov/vote, in the “Online Registration Services� box and click on the “Click Here� button. This service is available 24 hours a day.

To be eligible to vote in the April 4th Primary Election, online registration must be completed on or before March 14, 2017 by 11:59p.m.

0DLO LQ YRWHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ DSSOLFDWLRQV DUH DYDLODEOH DW YDULRXV SRVW RIÂżFHV OLEUDULHV DQG XWLOLW\ FRPSDQLHV throughout Clark County.

7KH VFKHGXOH IRU WKH ¿QDO WHQ GD\V RI LQ SHUVRQ UHJLVWUDWLRQ DW HDFK &LW\ &OHUNœV 2I¿FH LV DV IROORZV Boulder City &LW\ &OHUNœV 2I¿FH 401 California Avenue Boulder City, Nevada Sunday, March 5 Closed Monday, March 6 - Thursday, March 9 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Friday, March 10 - Sunday, March 12 Closed Monday, March 13 - Tuesday, March 14 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

City of Henderson &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH 240 Water Street Henderson, Nevada Sunday, March 5 Closed Monday, March 6 - Thursday, March 9 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Friday, March 10 - Sunday, March 12 Closed Monday, March 13 - Tuesday, March 14 7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

City of Las Vegas &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH 495 S. Main Street, 2nd Floor Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday, March 5 Closed Monday, March 6 - Thursday, March 9 7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Friday, March 10 - Sunday, March 12 Closed Monday, March 13 - Tuesday, March 14 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

City of North Las Vegas &LW\ &OHUNœV 2I¿FH 2250 Las Vegas Boulevard North Suite 800 North Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday, March 5 Closed Monday, March 6 - Thursday, March 9 8:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Friday, March 10 - Sunday, March 12 Closed Monday, March 13 - Tuesday, March 14 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

For more information, call the Clark County Election Department at (702) 455-8683.

DATED: February 15, 2017 Joseph P. Gloria Registrar of Voters PUB: February 16, 23, March 2, and 9 Las Vegas Asian Journal

Photo By Roger Ranada

Liberal Party senators removed from...

PAGE A1 vacant.

During the plenary session, Senator Cynthia Villar replaced LP president Senator Francis “Kiko� Pangilinan as chair of the Senate committee on agriculture.

Leaving the minority bloc, Senator Francis “Chiz� Escudero meanwhile replaced LP Senator Benigno Paolo “Bam�

Aquino as chair of the Senate committee on education.

Hontiveros, who ran under the LP during the last May 2016 senatorial election, was replaced by Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) Senator JV Ejercito.

Drilon, Pangilinan, Aquino, and Hontiveros are now part the Senate minority, led by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a press conference on the same day, Pangilinan claimed that the revamp was planned by the Duterte administration. “This is a part of their plans because this administration is not comfortable with our criticism of some of their policies,� the senator said. “We voice out our opinions on certain policies and orders. It seems that the administration wants total support, may they be right or wrong, and we can’t allow that.�

Notably, the four senators stripped of the chairmanships

in their respective committees earlier expressed their support for LP Senator Leila De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte’s war on drugs and the alleged rise of extrajudicial killings in the country.

De Lima was arrested last week after a warrant of arrest was issued for the drug-related charges filed against her by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The LP senators also reportedly attended a rally on Saturday, February 25 as part of commemorating the 31st People Power anniversary that ended the regime of late President Ferdinand Marcos as the country’s dictator. “If this is the price to pay to show up in the streets of EDSA talking about democracy, talking about the issues of violence in our streets, if this is the price to pay then I gladly pay this price,� Aquino said.

Hontiveros, for her part, remarked that she’d “wholeheartedly accept being a part of the minority� if staying with the majority means associating herself “with a violent administration that has no respect for human rights.� ‘Clear lines have to be drawn’ Sought for comments, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo clarified that Duterte did not play a hand in the recent reorganization of Senate leadership.

“I think the policy of the president is not to interfere with the other branches of the government,� Panelo told reporters on Tuesday. “If I hear right, those who replaced the current senators belong to the same party.

Otherwise, the allies of Malacaùang should have been placed there.�

Following the reshuffling of positions on Monday, Senate President Aquilino “Koko� Pimentel assured that the Senate will remain “independent and true to its role as the last bastion of democracy in our country.�

Pimentel said that the majority of the senators decided that “clear lines have to be drawn� in order for them “to best achieve the Senate’s legislative agenda.� “Work in the Senate has been hampered by the blurring of the lines between the majority and the minority to the detriment of public interest. There have been instances where the majority, instead of closing ranks, ended up divided,� Pimentel said in a statement.

Pacquiao, who initiated the motions to strip the LP members of their chairmanship posts, also insisted that Duterte played no hand in the reorganization of the Senate positions.

Like Pimentel, Pacquiao also stressed that the revamp is needed for legislative processes to move.

Duterte denies existence of ‘death squad’...

PAGE A1

can see that I give the orders to the chief, to Bato. Wala akong bata-bata na ganoon (I don’t play favorites). Even in the military,� the president said, referring to Philippine National

Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato� Dela Rosa, who also previously served as the Davao City police director from January 2012 to October 2013.

During the briefing, the presi-

dent also said his current directives toward law enforcers are the same as they were while he was mayor of Davao City. “Do not destroy my country, do not deprive us of our young people. You will die,� he said.

Commenting on LascaĂąas’ claims that the members of the squad were paid to carry out killings, Duterte pointed out that the police were given funds for operating expenses. “It so happened that, itong mga ibang pulis (other cops) pocket-up, gaya ‘nong mga pera (money), because you know you have to give the police money‌ if they go out and hunt for trafficking of drugs, there must be a selling and a buying, otherwise, there is no trafficking,â€? Duterte explained.

Asked if he personally knew LascaĂąas, Duterte replied: “Well, as a policeman, yes. I saw him once, twice a year.â€?

Repeating his public confession last week, LascaĂąas, on Monday, submitted his affidavit to the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs chaired by Sen. Panfilo Lacson. “In the beginning, we targeted and killed drug addicts, drug pushers, snatchers, holduppers and other criminals. Later on, however, we were ordered by Mayor Duterte to go after and kill his personal and political enemies. We became like hired or contract killers who killed not only criminals but innocent people,â€? LascaĂąas said in his affidavit.

This revelation contradicts the former death squad leader’s testimony during a Senate probe on the extrajudicial killings (EJK) last year in which he dismissed the existence of the DDS, saying the claims were mere “media hype.�

Asked to comment on LascaĂąas’ new statement, Duterte said: “Oh, well‌ There might be another one coming after recant of the recant. I’m sure.â€?

MalacaĂąang earlier dismissed LascaĂąas’ claims as “political dramaâ€? and another attempt to “destroy the president and to topple his administration.â€?

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Fil-Am progressives stress importance of supporting small businesses

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

ANNUAL RITE. Fr. Jerry Habunal of the Sta. Rita de Casia parish burns dried palm leaves whose ashes will be used to mark the foreheads of Catholics on Ash Wednesday. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle called on the faithful to reconcile with God during Lent and to show acts of mercy.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

Fil-Am among 43 most powerful female engineers of 2017 IN the male-dominated terrain at San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, a Filipina-American shines as one of the influential women in the realm of engineering and technology.

At the 32nd spot of Business Insider’s “43 Most Powerful Female Engineers of 2017, is Anne Aaron, current video algorithms director at Netflix.

“She leads a team of software engineers and research scientists. They make the software that enables more than 86 million Netflix members worldwide to watch streaming with the best possible quality,” the report described Aaron.

Aaron graduated university valedictorian and magna cum laude from the Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1998 and

Anne Aaron

Computer Engineering in 1999.

Soon after, she went to the US where she pursued her master’s and PhD in electrical engineering at Stanford University.

Before joining the entertainment company in 2011, Aaron worked as a senior software

engineer for Video Codecs at Cisco Systems.

In an interview with Variety in 2015, Aaron discussed how Netflix’s Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion project could provide viewers with crystal clear videos with lesser bandwidth.

“A one-size-fits-all model doesn’t give you the most optimal quality…Each episode could be very different,” mentioned Aaron. “We want to be good stewards of the internet.”

In celebration of National Engineers Week in March, Business Insider publishes a list of top female engineers to reognize the female brains behind vanguard advancements in science and technology. (Gianna Francesca Catolico / Inquirer. net)

“UP, up, up with the people!

Down, down, down with the system!”

As a way to mobilize young Americans, progressive revolutionary organization Kabataang Maka-Bayan - Los Angeles (KmB-LA) hosted its 13th annual Love for the People: Divest Big Business, Invest community event, whose name says it all: support local businesses which are often driven out by big corporations.

The intimate group of predominantly millennials gathered at the APAIT headquarters in Westlake in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 23 for a multifaceted night of community discussion focusing on a wide range of issues, all relating to the overarching theme of love.

“It’s the idea of challenging the commercialization of love, the idea that love is a source of capitalism which can be not with the people. It’s not about making a profit, it’s about that community love,” Eddy M. Gana, Jr., one of the leaders of KmB-LA told the Asian Journal.

The Los Angeles chapter of ANSWER Coalition first led a discussion and posed the question of how individuals can mo-

Jeffrey Liang leads a workshop on LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace.

Indigenous 1492, a pro-immigrant rights hat and beanie clothing line, lays out their branded headwear.

bilize others to support small businesses. Several people answered and all expressed the importance of community involvement and staying “angry” about injustice.

US-PH alliance remains strong amid concerns...

PAGE A1 ippines or any other country working to improve relations with China,” Kim said. “We also are going to maintain a productive, constructive relationship with China.”

Last year, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Manila will shift away from Washington towards Beijing as part of the Philippines’ efforts to push for a new independent foreign policy.

“There’s some confusion we are opposed. That’s not at all correct,” Kim added.

At the same time, Kim re-

marked that U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist stance will unlikely cause American companies to change its business operations in the Philippines.

He then emphasized that the Philippines offers “very very capable, smart employees, English fluency (and) reasonable labor costs.”

“We will not see any dramatic changes to U.S. companies’ BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) operations in the Philippines,” Kim said.

He, however, took note that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other forms of technology advancement

could possibly make more impact in the BPO industry than Trump’s “America first policy.”

Asked if Washington would remove its visa requirements for Filipinos who wants to travel in U.S. as proof of the two nations’ good relationship, Kim explained that the Philippines has yet to meet the United States’ strict requirements.

“But this is not permanent,” Kim added. “So we may find that a few years from now, the Philippines would meet all the requirements and would be included in the visa waiver program.” (Dana Local artists showcase their paintings and prints for sale while demonstrating their talents M. Sioson/AJPress) on canvas.

AJPress photos by Klarize Medenilla

They encouraged young people to get to know their neighbors and fellow citizens and expand into a local coalition to raise awareness and to take action against “the system.”

“People are at the center of all movements. Coalitions cannot lead unless they understand the people, the community they are leading and struggling with. An effective coalition must be able to build relationships and create communities. Relationships can happen between actions, and concepts and different struggles. Small businesses provide opportunities to network and become involved in the community,” the group said on its Facebook page.

The group also hosted two workshops: one focussing on HIV and how to deal with and combat LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace and one on the benefits of bike commuting.

This year’s event included a vendor fair which featured a diverse group of local businesses: hat and beanie brand Indigenous 1492, African-themed clothing line Nicole Wilson and environmentally-friendly jewelry line Native Sol. Local artists that showcased PAGE A4

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PH Consulate in Los Angeles signs Trump acts on campaign promises in first... agreement with US Dept of Labor

by Klarize

Medenilla

AJPress

AS an effort to expand its resources to workers, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (US DOL WHD) Western Regional Office signed an agreement with the Philippine Consulate General - Los Angeles.

The agreement — signed by Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz and Regional Administrator of the DOL WHD Western Region Ruben J. Rosalez — establishes an understanding between the two agencies to collaborate on ways to help better serve Filipino workers in California. “We want to be there for everyone, we want to be there for the community, we want to reflect the communities we’re serving,� said Rosalez, who boasts a 27year career in the DOL WHD. The agreement, which was signed at a signing ceremony at the Consulate General of the Philippines office in LA on Monday, February 27, has already brought forth ideas in which to strengthen both agencies’ commitments to providing Filipinos with “information, guidance, access to education and training resources to help them exercise their workplace rights,� according to the agreement read by Dyan M. Pastrana, Vice Consul of the Consulate General-LA. Cruz praised the DOL WHD for its commitment to reaching out to the Filipino community.

The DOL WHD, according to Rosalez, has also made agreements with other consular offices like those of Thailand and Belize.

The DOL WHD office was one of the agencies affected by the hiring freeze on federal employees ordered by President Donald Trump on January 23.

According to Rosalez, three months ago the DOL WHD had just under a thousand investigators nationwide (under 200 in the Western Region office) that handled cases of underpayment, workplace discrimination, etc.

Currently, the DOL WHD has about 900 investigators seeking to educate workers and hold accountable employers that disobey the law. “The number of hard working people in [the DOL WHD] that actually handles so many of these cases over the country, the ratio is so small. Hats off to them,� Cruz said.

The DOL WHD introduced a program called EMPLEO Pinoy, which Filipino workers can call to receive advice and action plans for any workplace issues.

For example, they may call if their employers aren’t paying them overtime hours or minimum wage or if they’re experiencing discrimination in the workplace.

Workers can reach English and Tagalog-speaking representatives of EMPLEO Pinoy at +1 (877) 885-6641. The calls are free and confidential. “So I think what we’re finding is that we’re making a headway,� Rosalez said. “Also, we’re finding that we’re seeing the fruits of our labor and we’re seeing that compliance is starting to happen.�

The agreement is wide-ranging and will help assist Filipinos working in all industries including health care, restaurants, hotel and hospitality, construction, agriculture and garment industry to name a few, according to Rosalez.

Cruz praised Rosalez and the DOL WHD for being the “silent heroes� for underpaid workers, but Rosalez lamented that there was still more work to be done

to combat employers who don’t abide by the law and underpay their employers — especially immigrant workers. “There’s still a lot of work to do, and it saddens me to say that it’s 2017 and we still have cases where people are making $2 an hour, $3 an hour [or] $4 an hour.

It’s sad but it’s true, and we still have to investigate and still have to do those cases and be there for all workers,� Rosalez acknowledged.

Additionally, Rosalez acknowledged the widespread fear regarding the president’s immigration policies, but assured that the statuses of immigrant workers are protected should they approach the DOL or the Philippine Consulate for assistance. “We understand in the current climate that workers are afraid to talk to people in the government,� Rosalez stressed. “We’re not immigration, let me make that very clear. We’re not a part of immigration and we don’t share information with immigration at all. But we are here to help. Every worker that works in the United States is due, by law, to be paid correctly, regardless of their status.�

Moreover, Cruz emphasized that the Philippine Consulate was not in cahoots with U.S. immigration agencies and is not sharing the immigration statuses of undocumented immigrants who visit or seek the Consulate’s advice. “Some of our fellow nationals feel that the Consulate actually turns in undocumented immigrants; we would like to dispel those rumors,� Cruz affirmed. “We are here to help everyone who comes by our office. We do not ask people if they are documented or undocumented; we are here to provide any assistance we can.�

Trump talks immigration in joint speech...

PAGE A1 engineers to “get out of my country� before shooting and killing them.

He, then, affirmed his faith in his widely-panned border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, arguing that the U.S. maintains an open border “for anyone to cross� that is conducive “for drugs to pour in at a now unprecedented rate.�

However, the U.S. does not maintain an “open border� and immigration from Mexico experienced a decline between 2009 and 2014 due to the weakened economy left by the 2008 financial crisis. “At the same time, my Administration has answered the pleas of the American people for immigration enforcement and border security,� Trump added. “We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders.�

However, more than half of Americans disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies.

According to a CBS poll released last month, 51 percent

of Americans disapprove of the now-defeated travel ban—which temporarily banned travel from seven Muslim countries—and only 45 percent approve.

According to a Quinnapiac University survey conducted in November shortly after the election, 55 percent of Americans oppose the proposed border wall.

Nevertheless, Trump said that the construction of the “great wall...will be started ahead of schedule� and believes that “will be a very effective weapon against drugs and crime.�

Referencing terrorist attacks on American soil, including 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing, Trump said that his administration is “taking strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism.�

He, then, falsely claimed that a majority of those convicted of terrorism on American soil since 9/11 were foreign-born—a claim he’s repeated and is also written in his executive order.

However, a nonpartisan think tank New America Foundation found that the vast majority of jihadist terrorist attacks were homegrown terrorist acts that were committed by American citizens or legal permanent residents (LPRs).

About 82 percent of those convicted were citizens and permanent residents while only 18 percent were non-residents or held an unknown status.

R e g a rd l e s s o f t h e f a c t s , Trump’s administration plans to move forth with the revised executive order, but delayed the signing once again. According to those closest to the president, the executive order will not go into effect once it is signed.

The revised version promises significant changes including removing Iraq from one of the banned countries, exempting current visa holders and LPRs and will not prioritize those of certain religions, a stipulation which opponents said was meant to discriminate against Muslims.

PAGE A1 However, a majority of Americans aren’t happy with the new president’s performance in his first month in office; Trump is the first modern U.S. president to start with a majority disapproval at 45 percent.

The latest poll comes from Quinnipiac University, which shows an all-time low approval rating for the new president at 38 percent and a disapproval rating of 55 percent. “President Trump’s popularity is sinking like a rock,� Tim Malloy, assistant director of the poll, wrote in a statement. “He gets slammed on honesty, empathy, level-headedness and the ability to unite. And two of his strong points, leadership and intelligence are sinking to new lows.

This is a terrible survey one month in.�

Gallup, which has been measuring newly-elected presidents’ approval ratings since Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, shows that Trump has the lowest historic approval rating of any president coming into office.

His inauguration prompted millions of Americans to participate in numerous rallies and protests, with the most significant one, the global Women’s March, occurring on January 21, the day after his swearing in.

One thing to commend about his presidency, however, is that he has stuck to almost all of his campaign promises.

He promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, and his administration has already made significant moves to do so. He promised to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, and he’s signed an executive order to make it happen.

A so-called champion of the anti-Establishment, he’s nominated several individuals with no experience in public office to fill his Cabinet, including ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson (State Department), billionaire Betsy DeVos (Department of Education), former Goldman Sachs executive Steve Mnuchin (Treasury) among others.

In a controversial move that outraged Americans everywhere, Trump named Steve Bannon, executive chairman of alt-right media company Breitbart News, as one of his assistants and chief strategists.

Immigration policies Just this week, his administration issued its first directives to conduct the promised crackdown on undocumented immigrants and widened the pool of

PAGE A3 artwork included global visual artist Shelley Bruce and Yvonne Ho, a visual artist, painter and illustrator based in Little Saigon, California.

Vietnamese food shop Patches and vegan catering company Bomb Vegan provided tasty eats, along with delectable Filipino selections from The Park’s Finest, Kapistahan Grill and Dollar Hits LA.

LUNGSOD NG LAS VEGAS MUNISIPAL PANGUNAHING HALALAN

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at which election there will be submitted to the duly qualified electors, properly registered of Boulder City, the following candidates for the office of:

ANG ABISO NA ITO AY IBINIBIGAY, Ang lungsod ng Las Vegas Munisipal na Pangunahing Halalan ay gaganapin sa Martes,Ika-4ng Abril, 2017 sa mga sumusunod na tanggapan:

Warren C. Harhay Richard Loudin Eric L. Lundgaard “Fritz� McDonald Kiernan McManus John Milburn James T. Stuckey Cam Walker FURTHER, the Primary Municipal Election on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, will be conducted in the manner as provided by the election laws of the State of Nevada and the City of Boulder City. Vote at EITHER of the following locations on Election Day. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the following locations: Boulder City Recreation Center 900 Arizona Street Boulder City, Nevada Martha P. King Elementary 888 S. Adams Boulevard Boulder City, Nevada Aides for handicapped persons and persons 65 years of age or older will be available at each vote center. Those hearing impaired persons who desire voting information may call the City Clerk’s Office T.D.D. telephone at 293-9412, Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For visually impaired voters, audio voting is available during the early voting period at City Hall and on Election Day at any vote center.

Absent ballot request cards are available at the Boulder City City Clerk’s Office for said Primary Election, and all written requests for absent ballots must be received at the Clark County Election Department no later than March 28, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.

Early voting will be conducted in the Boulder City Council Chambers, 401 California Avenue as follows: Wednesday & Thursday Friday & Saturday

March 22-23, 2017 March 24-25, 2017

Dated this 16th day of February, 2017. /s/Lorene Krumm_____________ Lorene Krumm, City Clerk City of Boulder City, Nevada LVRJ February 24 and March 3, 2017 El Tiempo, February 24 and March 3, 2017 LV Asian Journal, February 23 and March 2, 2017 BC Review, February 23 and March 2, 2017

7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

President Donald Trump

Aquilina Soriano, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) of Southern California, pointed out that the recent, widely panned executive actions on immigration will, not only “waste� government funds but will reignite the stigma that goes with being undocumented. “If these executive orders are fully implemented, the president will be wasting and throwing away millions and maybe billions of taxpayer money on policies that will make communities less safe, create more racial discrimination, will put a financial burden on local governments and put a financial burden on all taxpayers without addressing the country’s need to create good long-term jobs. Why will communities be less safe?� Soriano told the Asian Journal.

Soriano expanded on the societal effects of the executive orders, reiterating that minorities — including Filipinos — in the United States have become a target of racial discrimination. She referenced an instance when someone yelled at a member of the PWC on the streets and told him to “go back home!� “This driver had no way to tell whether this Filipino was documented or not, but only his physical appearance, his Filipino features. The president is provoking racial discrimination with these orders and is wrongly blaming the woes of the country on immigrants,� Soriano explained, adding that this kind of discrimination will lower morale among Filipinos. “At PWC we also know that when immigrant workers are more afraid because of [the] threat of deportation, they become more vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace. This will impact not only the worker, but their family and the larger Filipino community,� she said. (Klarize/Medenilla/AJPress)

Fil-Am progressives stress importance...

NOTICE OF PRIMARY MUNICIPAL ELECTION CITY OF BOULDER CITY, STATE OF NEVADA ON TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

Council member:

potential deportees.

Mariano Vargas is a FilipinoAmerican immigrant who moved to Los Angeles from Pampanga, Philippines in the early 1980s.

An opponent of what he calls “the liberal elite�, he has supported the Republican Party since first moving to the United States, calling Ronald Reagan his “favorite U.S. leader.�

This election, however, was different for him. “[Trump] doesn’t represent the [Republican] Party and it’s a shame what he’s done to the name of the Republican,� Vargas told the Asian Journal at an ACLU forum on Tuesday, February 21.

Vargas also noted that although Trump appointed Republicans to his Cabinet, he feels that his picks weren’t the best. “I thought he would ‘drain the swamp’ like he said, but he didn’t really do that,� Vargas, 52, lamented, adding that the confirmation of billionaire Betsy DeVos as education secretary will be “bad for the children.� “I’m trying to stay positive and have hope that Trump will be better as time goes on, but with all the things and executive orders he’s signed, I don’t know,�

Vargas said.

Vargas’ friend, Hillario Tan, shared a more scathing opinion on Trump, calling the real estate mogul “the most dangerous leader to the United States.� “I don’t know where to start with Trump. We can talk on and on about what he’s doing to immigrants in the U.S., and that’s only a small part of what makes him so scary,� Tan, 45, said.

Tan, who works as a registered nurse in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, expressed fear of, not only Trump, but also the all the new leaders in the White House, especially Bannon, as White House senior counselor, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “[Bannon and Sessions] are known racists, and they’re in a position to create laws in this country, and that is terrifying,�

Tan said. “And none of this would have happened if Trump wasn’t elected. He made all of this happen.� “It’s so cliche, but now is the time to stand up and fight against what’s happening,� Tan declared. “It’s time for folks to quit being, you know, armchair activists and to go out and volunteer, protest or work for organizations that are making a difference, support politicians who are fighting, too...it will make a difference.�

KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD - PUROK 2

KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD - PUROK 4

KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD - PUROK 6

Bob Beers Laura Feher Christina Roush Steve Seroka

Stavros S. Anthony Jon Edge Deborah Harris Sean Lyttle

MUNISIPAL NA HUKOM SA HUKUMAN KAGAWARAN 3

MUNISIPAL NA HUKOM SA HUKUMAN KAGAWARAN 5

Ryan M. Alarid Adam K. Christian Matthew G. Consoli Michele Fiore Christine “Chris� Garvey Joel Jarvis Allen Jordan Reid Rasner Kelli Ross Thaddeus A. Ynigues

Heidi Almase Cara Campbell Robert Kurth

Crystal Eller Cedric Kerns

KOREO/MANLILIBAN NA BALOTANG KAHILINGAN NA MGA TARHETA ay maaaring makuha sa Lalawigan ng Clark /Kagawaran ng Halalan, online sa sumusunod na website www.lasvegasnevada.gov/elections Lahat ng mga kahilingan para sa koreo/manliliban na balota para sa Pangunahing Halalan ay dapat matanggap sa Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan, 965 Trade Drive, Ste. A, N. Las Vegas, Nevada 89303, sa 5:00 n.h. sa Martes, Ika-28ng Marso, 2017.

SA KARAGDAGAN, ANG PANGUNAHING HALALAN na naka takda sa Martes, Ika- 4ng Abril , 2017 ay gaganapin sa pamamaraan na ibinigay sa pamamagitan ng batas sa halalan ng Estado ng Nevada at ang Lungsod ng Las Vegas.

Mga Sentro nang Botohan ay magbubukas sa 7 n.u. hanggang 7 n.g. sa mga sumusunod na lugar: Albertsons – 1650 North Buffalo Drive Albertsons – 4850 West Craig Road Centennial Hills YMCA – 6601 North Buffalo Drive Las Vegas City Hall – 495 South Main Street Doolittle Community Center – 1950 J Street East Las Vegas Community Center – 250 North Eastern Avenue Kitty Ward Elementary – 5555 Horse Drive Meadows Mall – 4300 Meadows Lane Mountain Crest Community Center – 4701 North Durango Drive Mountain Shadows Community Center – 9107 Del Webb Boulevard Rainbow Library – 3150 North Buffalo Drive Sahara West Library – 9600 West Sahara Avenue Skye Center at Skye Canyon – 10111 W. Skye Canyon Park Drive Veterans Memorial – 101 North Pavilion Center Drive West Charleston Library – 6301 West Charleston Boulevard

KmB-LA began hosting Love for the People in 2005 and its mission has always been the same: to uplift local businesses and artists and promote love for the local community. A vendor fair was chosen this year, but in past years they’ve held panel discussions, spoken word nights and other modes of expressing their mission.

It’s always scheduled around Valentine’s Day to remind folks

that love isn’t something you can buy: it’s in one’s active support. “Our mission here has always been the same: to challenge the commercialization of love

by Valentine’s Day and to show that community love,� Gana affirmed.

All the proceeds from donations to KmB-LA were given to Black Lives Matter - LA and NoDAPL.

LEGAL NOTICE CITY OF HENDERSON 2017 MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Henderson Primary Election will be held RQ 7XHVGD\ $SULO IRU WKH IROORZLQJ RIÂżFHV Mayor City Council Ward III Anthony S. Csuzi Carrie Cox Angelo R. Gomez 0DWWKHZ 3 'H)DOFR Eddie “Swamperâ€? Hamilton -RKQ 0DU] Crystal Hendrickson 'HEUD 0DUFK -HUU\ 6DNXUD Rick Workman FURTHER, AT THE CLOSE OF CANDIDATE FILING ON FEBRUARY 2, 2017, WKH RIÂżFH IRU 0XQLFLSDO &RXUW -XGJH 'HSDUWPHQW ,,, KDG RQO\ RQH FDQGLGDWH ÂżOLQJ for nomination. Pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute 293C.180(1), Rodney T. Burr, WKH LQFXPEHQW ZDV GHFODUHG HOHFWHG DW WKH FORVH RI FDQGLGDWH ÂżOLQJ DQG QR HOHFWLRQ ZLOO EH KHOG IRU 0XQLFLSDO &RXUW -XGJH 'HSDUWPHQW ,,, Âą \HDU WHUP FURTHER, ELECTION DAY VOTE CENTERS are being utilized for the 2017 Henderson Municipal Election. Vote Centers are non-precinct based locations similar to Early Voting. The sites are fewer in number than precinct-voting stations and centrally located to major population centers (rather than distributed among many residential locations). Henderson registered voters are entitled to cast a ballot at any Vote Center regardless of the precinct or ward in which they reside.

Please note Âą 9RWH &HQWHUV ZLOO 21/< EH XWLOL]HG GXULQJ +HQGHUVRQÂśV 0XQLFLSDO (OHFWLRQ 7UDGLWLRQDO SUH DVVLJQHG (OHFWLRQ 'D\ 3ROOLQJ /RFDWLRQV ZLOO UHPDLQ LQ effect during County, State, and Federal Elections conducted in the fall.

ON ELECTION DAY ONLY - APRIL 4 VOTE CENTERS WILL BE OPEN from 7am-7pm Black Mountain Recreation Center 599 Greenway Road Henderson, NV 89015

Henderson Multigenerational Center 250 South Green Valley Parkway Henderson, NV 89012

Galleria at Sunset Lower Level, Kohlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Court 1300 West Sunset Road Henderson, NV 89014

+HULWDJH 3DUN 6HQLRU )DFLOLW\ 300 South Racetrack Road Henderson, NV 89015

Green Valley Library 2797 North Green Valley Parkway Henderson, NV 89014 Henderson City Hall 2IÂżFH RI WKH &LW\ &OHUN VW )ORRU 240 South Water Street Henderson, NV 89015

Silver Springs Recreation Center 1951 Silver Springs Parkway Henderson, NV 89074 Sun City Anthem Center 2450 Hampton Road Henderson, NV 89052 Sun City MacDonald Ranch 2020 West Horizon Ridge Parkway Henderson, NV 89012

MAIL PRECINCTS Mail precincts have been eliminated for the 2017 Municipal Election. All Henderson registered voters have the opportunity to vote at any Vote Center, Early Voting site or by requesting a mail ballot.

'DWHG WKLV WK GD\ RI )HEUXDU\ 6$%5,1$ 0(5&$'$17( 00& &,7< &/(5. sabrina.mercadante@cityofhenderson.com

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 2-8, 2017

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march 2-8, 2017 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOUrNaL

OpiniOn

Legislative jungle

Features

SOME say that a governance needs a good opposition to bring out the best in itself. Will this hold true for a government that is marred by a political rumble where supremacy is tested and egos are displayed?

The three great departments of the Philippine government—the Executive (President), Legislative (Senate and House of Representatives) and Judiciary (Supreme Court and all other courts)—are empowered by the Constitution to preserve freedom and democracy among its people.

To serve such purpose, these institutions are accorded with distinct powers and responsibilities.

However, to prevent any form of abuse of power, they are also subjected to separation of powers with appropriate checks and balances to ensure accountability and responsiveness in the government.

This complicated exchange lives under the Filipinos’ scrutiny. The departments are expected to play a complementary relationship, one that is more symbiotic and less parasitic. If they begin to be at each other’s throats, erosion of public trust will be the impending result.

In the long run, this will leave the government to hang in a precarious balance. This might cripple the country that is dependent on the ideals of democracy and thrives on public participation.

In the Senate, a line has been (clearly) drawn on Monday, Feb. 27 when six senators were relegated to the minority. Sen. Manny Pacquiao has moved that the Senate President Pro Tempore post, held

by Sen. Franklin Drilon, as vacant.

Sen. Ralph Recto was sworn in on the same day to assume the post.

Three other senators took the hit on Monday as Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino were stripped off their chairmanship of the committees on health, agriculture and education, respectively. Senators JV Ejercito, Cynthia Villar and Francis Escudero were named their replacements.

They now join Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch critic of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, in the minority. Another Liberal Party (LP) member Sen. Leila De Lima, who was previously arrested on drug charges by the Department of Justice, completes the minority bloc.

Pacquiao revealed on Tuesday, Feb. 28 that at least 15 senators previously gathered in his house in Makati City to plan the reorganization of the Senate. He also pointed out that Malacañang had no hand in the shakeup that resulted in the removal of LP senators and allies from their positions.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson told reporters that he, Sotto, Senators Gregorio Honasan II and Loren Legarda pushed for the meeting, concerned about the “awkward” situation in the chamber.

“Most of us are not pro-Duterte or anti-Duterte.

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

We do not want to be subservient but we also do not want to be hostile to the administration,” Sen. Vicente Sotto III explained.

This current rumpus in the upper chamber of the Congress is a far more complex issue than just the “few bad apples spoil the whole bunch” defense. Averting a constitutional crisis does not mean developing a pugnacious attitude. These are

the very people entrusted by the Filipinos to articulate measures that would ease their hardships.

Despite all these political horse trading, we can conclude that Filipinos are becoming increasingly informed today because finally there is actually a debate on issues—that matter—taking place. This means that both sides are engaging and the country is being better served. (AJPress)

Trump gives himself an ‘A’ for achievement in his first month as president: How do you rate him?

DONALD TRUMP has been the president of the United States for a little more than a month now, and when asked in a TV interview how he would rate himself, he said he would give himself the grade of “A” for achievement.

However, he acknowledged how bumpy the first month had been and said because of this, he would rate himself a grade of “C” or a ”C+” for messaging because he said apparently, his administration had not been as successful in communicating his policies and plans to the American

people in as much as he wanted it to be.

The Fil-Am This is a good segue to the latest poll of polls by RealClearPoli- Perspective tics. An average of recent polls reveals that Trump just got a 44 percent approval rating, with 48 percent disapproval. This is historically low for a newly elected Gel SantoS-reloS president.

A slim majority of Americans, however, say the in office? In his

media treat President Trump unfairly.

The recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows 51 percent of Americans think the media have been too critical of Trump, while 41 percent say the press has been fair to the president.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? How do you rate Trump’s first month first speech before the joint ses-

sion of Congress on Tuesday, the theme of the address is “Renewal of the American Spirit — an optimistic vision for All Americans.” What can and shall he do to unify the nation and achieve his goals for the good of all Americans? *** 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

Tightening the screws THE screws are tightening on both Street sides of the Pacific, pretty much like the Talk garote that snuffed the lives of the Tres Martires, Padres Burgos, Gomez and Zamora. Sooner or GreG B. MacaBenta later, some necks are going to snap.

In America, the screws are being tightened around the neck of President Donald Trump, with calls for his impeachment, while, in the Philippines, the target is President Rodrigo Duterte, with hints of a coup.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is digging into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suspected hand in influencing the results of the US presidential elections, and Trump’s alleged connections with Russian-controlled business interests. The first casualty has been Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign, following revelations of possible unlawful contacts between him and the Russian ambassador to the US. The Democrats are calling for an independent counsel to conduct an impartial and thorough investigation of these allegations. Doubts have also been raised that Trump has not truly divested himself of his business empire and that his presidency is being used to benefit the Trump enterprises.

On the other hand, Trump’s executive orders on banning visitors and immigrants from predominantly-Muslim countries, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, have affected even legal US residents and citizens.

In a recent incident, passengers of a domestic flight landing in New York were asked to show their IDs by immigration authorities, ostensibly in the course of searching for a person who was subject of a deportation order. Ordinarily, only passengers of international flights are subjected to such an inspection.

The most eyebrow-raising news was about immigration officers questioning the former wife of boxing icon, Muhammad Ali, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, and her son, Muhammad Ali, Jr., upon their arrival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from a trip to Jamaica. Both Camacho-Ali and

Muhammad Junior are bonafide US citizens.

Trump’s obsession to build a wall on the USMexican border to keep out illegals from Mexico and other Latin American countries, has been translated into more aggressive action by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In cities across the US, ICE officers have conducted raids on business establishments suspected of hiring undocumented workers. In some cases, checkpoints have been set up at which motorists have been asked to produce IDs, to prove legal presence in the country.

Trump has also begun to tighten the screws on the media, singling out what he has labeled as “the fake press who are the enemy of the American people.”

The enmity between Trump and US media is escalating. Trump has sent word that he will not attend the annual White House correspondents reception where the chief executive is traditionally roasted.

The report is that Hollywood star, Alec Baldwin, who has been doing a hilarious impersonation of Trump on the TV comedy show, Saturday Night Live, may be invited in Trump’s place. It goes without saying that Trump will get the roasting of his life at the event.

That’s not all that the US media are doing. They are digging up all kinds of dirt about Trump, particularly those related to his businesses.

The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Atlantic and The Guardian UK have raised the possibility that Trump owes $560 million dollars to the Blackstone/ Bayrock Group, which is wholly owned

by Russian billionaires who are cozy with Putin. The media suspect that this explains why Trump refuses to release his tax returns.

The speculation is that Trump’s indebtedness is one of the reasons why Russia has him by his cojones and why he could be subjected to pressures against US interests.

On another front, a special report in Newsweek, aired on MSNBC TV, alleges that Trump could be subjected to blackmail by the government of Turkey because of his relationship with the Dogan

business group which is building twin towers bearing the Trump name. It appears that the Turkish government has arrested a senior executive of the Dogan group and Trump has hinted that the executive should be given a break, otherwise, the Trump group will lose millions.

What the Turkish government may want in return is the extradition of a Turkish imam, suspected of having committed a terrorist act in Turkey.

The imam is now a legal US resident and the US had earlier refused to extradite him. Newsweek believes there could be a quid pro quo by which Trump’s business asso- US President Donald Trump and PH President Rodrigo Duterte ciate will be released in camp rallied thousands of supporters exchange for the imam’s and staged a “vigil” at the Rizal Park on extradition.

If this, in fact, happens, the screws the same day.

Interestingly, a delegation led by the could really tighten around Trump’s Marcos family, attended the pro-Duterte neck.

In the Philippines, Duterte is be- rally, loudly branding as a “fake revoluleaguered following revelations by a tion,” the 1986 EDSA uprising that oustself-confessed member of the dreaded ed President Ferdinand Marcos.

In a demonstration of tightening the Davao death squad (whose existence a Senate investigation committee has de- screws on the opposition, the Duterte nied). Former Davao policeman, Arthur government facilitated the arrest and Lascañas has revealed to the media that incarceration of Sen. Leila de Lima, a Duterte had personally ordered several fierce critic, on allegations of abetting killings, including the assassination of a the criminal activities of drug lords confined at the New Bilibid Prison. broadcast journalist.

In the Senate, in what may called a Duterte has been unusually quiet in the wake of these revelations, leaving it massacre, Liberal Party Senators Frankto his spokespersons and trolls to ques- lin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros and Bam tion the credibility of the self-confessed Aquino and Pwersa ng Masa Senator JV assassin. On the other, Sen. Dick Gor- Ejercito, were summarily ejected from don, who had conducted the Senator their committee chairmanships, apparinquiry into the Davao death squad and ently for being oppositionists.

At the Rizal Park rally, Justice Sechad doubted its existence, has shown no retary Vitaliano Aguirre II did a virtual interest in revisiting the case.

The 31st commemoration of the Peo- Pontius Pilate by asking the pro-Duterte ple Power Revolt at EDSA, on February supporters, in the course of his speech, 25, echoed with warnings against the whom they wanted him to arrest next. threat of martial law by Duterte and con- Like the Jews screaming for blood, the demnation of the extra-judicial killings crowd yelled out the name of Sen. Anthat have marked Duterte’s campaign tonio Trillanes IV, not that he has any against the drug menace. Perhaps fear- moral similarity to Jesus Christ.

The message of Aguirre has not been ing that the EDSA gathering could snowball into an attempt to oust Duterte, his lost on the critics of the Duterte admin-

istration. The screws are being tightened on them.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, who earlier swore under oath that he has never been a US citizen, may have been caught lying because of incriminating documents released by media. The documents show that Yasay did in fact become a US citizen and his renunciation only took effect before his appointment to the Duterte cabinet.

In that case, Yasay’s tenure as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and his senatorial candidacy in the 2004 elections were against the law. With the screws tightening around Yasay’s neck, will his patron, Duterte, come to his rescue or drop him like a hot camote?

Finally, the question is, whose neck will snap first. Trump’s or Duterte’s?

Or will it be Trillanes, following De Lima, as well as those who attempt to fight the Duterte juggernaut or Aguirre, Yasay and the mouthpieces, Martin Andanar and his trolls?

And in the US, will it be the US media and the Democratic Party or will it be Trump’s team of alternative fact-purveyors, like Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer and Kellyanne Conway?

Abangan! (gregmacabenta@hotmail. 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

Dateline PDeathhiliPPines penalty advocates score another win in House

GORDON MEETS SAF44 FAMILIES. Senator Richard Gordon,chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 meets with the families of the “SAF44,” or the 44 Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP SAF) troopers killed during the January 25, 2015 Mamasapano incident. The families went to the Senate to seek assistance in reopening the official investigation of the incident, considered to be the largest loss of lives involving local security forces in recent history. Senate photo by Cesar Tomambo

PH’s war on drugs to resume with AFP, PNP

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will now be part of the government’s renewed efforts to suppress illegal drugs in the country.

A memorandum of agreement (MOA) has been signed by the AFP and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Tuesday, February 28, detailing the military’s role in the campaign.

The anti-drug unit will be composed of about 500 soldiers.

The military, however, will only be involved when it comes to “high-impact operations and arrest of high-value targets,” according to AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Col. Edgard Arevalo.

“Our forces and assets provided for each operation will not conduct Tokhang,” Arevalo clarified, referring to the PNP’s previous house-to-house anti-drug campaign.

The AFP is also set to expand its Joint Counterintelligence Task Force (JCTF) Noah, which assists law enforcement agencies in identifying, investigating and neutralizing persons involved in the use, sale, manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs.

Since President Rodrigo

Duterte took office last July, 7,000 individuals have been reportedly killed by both police and vigilantes. Over 52,000 people have been arrested during the legitimate police operations, according to various reports.

Apart from the AFP, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will also rejoin PDEA in implementing the government’s anti-illegal drug operations.

In a press conference on Tuesday,Duterte disclosed that he has ordered PNP chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa to recruit police officers “who are imbued with the fervor of patriotism” to become members of the new anti-drug task force.

According to Duterte, the members of the new group will be strictly selected with no “history of corruption.”

“I have to do it because I lack men. I am also fighting the NPA (New People’s Army) and I have this problem in Mindanao about terrorism and drugs so I need personnel,” Duterte said.

“I need personnel so I have to call back the police again to do the job most of the times, on drugs.”

Duterte maintained that the anti-drug operations would remain “PDEA-supervised, whether done by the military or the

police.”

In late January, the president ordered the PNP to pull out from anti-illegal drug operations nationwide to focus on “internal cleansing.”

He made the suspension amid the controversial death of South Korean businessman Jee IckJoo, who was abducted from his home in Pampanga, along with his house help, reportedly under the guise of an anti-illegal drug operation last October 18, 2016.

Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), however, warned that the United States could suspend its “military aid and training” to the Philippines if the AFP “were to join the drug war and participate in extrajudicial killings.”

CSIS Senior Adviser and Deputy Director Murray Hiebert pointed out that the Leahy amendment prohibits the U.S. Departments of Defense and State from providing equipment or training to foreign military units that commit “gross human rights violations.”

The U.S. government has repeatedly expressed its concerns over the extrajudicial killings that have allegedly occurred in relation to the Philippine government’s drug war.

MANILA — Proponents of the revival of the death penalty moved closer to their goal as the House of Representatives passed the bill second reading on Wednesday, March 1.

Lawmakers approved proposed amendments on House Bill 4247 through “viva voce” or voice vote following about three hours of debates. With the viva voce method, supporters of the latest version of the draft legislation responded verbally in chorus and could not be accounted for individually.

Upon the last roll call, 227 members of the House were present to determine a quorum, or the minimum number of people to decide on legislation.

Those who opposed the reimposition of capital punishment earlier pushed for nominal voting, but the motion did not earn the assembly’s support.

Opponents also appealed for a longer session of debates, but House leaders were quick to disapprove their amendments and moved to vote.

The Duterte administration has pushed for death penalty as a central element in its campaign against crime and illegal drugs. The government enjoys a supposed “supermajority” at the Lower House, making it easier to find support for its legislative agenda.

Human rights groups, inter-

Marcos not eyeing DILG post PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, Feb. 27 said that former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is not interested to become the next secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“He’s not interested,” Duterte told reporters, dispelling rumors that he will invite Marcos to the Cabinet after the one-year ban on appointing losing candidates in the May 2016 election expires.

Marcos, a longtime ally of the president, ran for vice president last year but lost narrowly to former Camarines Sur representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo.

Marcos filed an electoral protest alleging massive fraud. (ManilaTimes.net)

national bodies and the Roman Catholic Church, however, oppose the return of capital punishment, citing studies that the policy does not deter wrongdoing and its effects are irreversible in a flawed justice system.

Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo repealed the country’s death penalty law as president in

2006. Despite being part of the majority, Arroyo vowed to vote against the proposed measure.

The Philippines’ efforts to reintroduce the execution of convicts in the justice system are a rare move considering the increase in the number of countries that have abolished it in the past decades.

(Philstar.com)

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Elha Nympha’s US TV debut finally airs

by Mark

Bonifacio ManilaTimes.net

In January, Music Geek broke the news that “The Voice Kids Season 2” winner and “Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids” cast member Elha nympha had been included in the new season of US TV show “Little Big Shots.”

Recently, the show hosted by Steve Harvey and produced by Ellen DeGeneres released a teaser opening with nympha singing, “Welcome to Season 2 of Little

Big Shots.”

It showed what people can expect from the new season with a band of talented kids like an archer, ballet dancer, math wizard, gymnast, pianist, drummer and singer like nympha—and of course the funny banter between Harvey and the kids.

In the teaser, the young Filipina singer was seen performing what sounded like “Chandelier” by Sia that made Steve Harvey exclaim, “This girl can sing.” “Chandelier” is also one of the covers included

in her debut album Elha under MCA Music.

In another teaser, some kids were asked, “What would you do if you were the President of the United States?” nympha answered that she will “build a foundation for animals.” nympha’s US stint will surely be anticipated on TV with another Filipino making the country proud as a musical prodigy. Let us all hope this will be the start of the young singer’s international career.

“Little Big Shots,” the show hosted by Steve Harvey and produced by Ellen DeGeneres released a teaser opening with Ekha Nympha singing.

ABS-CBN phot

A conversation with DePaul University’s incoming president, Dr. Amado Gabriel Esteban By christina AJPress

oriel

BY this summer, Chicago’s DePaul University will welcome its new president, Dr. Amado Gabriel Esteban. The Filipino academic leader will become the first nonordained president in DePaul’s 119-year history — considered the largest Catholic university in the United States — when he assumes office on July 1.

The new post shouldn’t be too much of a leap for Esteban, who has held the same position at Seton Hall University in South

Orange, new Jersey since 2011, where he has overseen the development of new schools, ensured that the institution has stayed financially robust, and promoted its academic profile.

In a recent interview with the Asian Journal since his appointment was announced, Esteban shared his vision and goals for DePaul and why learning is a lifelong pursuit.

Journey to higher education Esteban, who was born and raised in Quezon City, Philippines, never intended to pursue a career in higher education.

Esteban with Ban Ki-Moon at the School of Diplomacy & International Relations World Leaders Forum.

Growing up — and it’s a familiar scenario for many Filipinos — he thought he would follow his father’s footsteps as a doctor.

The draw to teaching must have come from seeing the elder Esteban spend the latter part of his life as a professor at University of the Philippines (UP) School of Medicine.

Esteban went on to earn a bachelor of science in mathematics and an MBA from UP, where he met Josephine King, who would become his wife. He was the first Philippine recipient of the Fujitsu Asian Scholarship, which brought

him to Chaminade University in Hawaii for a master’s degree in Japanese business studies.

He returned to the Philippines for a few years to work in the private sector at a bank and then in consumer goods at San Miguel Corp.

“When you grow up in the Philippines, everyone at some point hopes that they’re given an opportunity to study overseas, whether it be in Japan, the UK, or the U.S.,” he told the Asian Journal, adding that scholarships and fellowships helped him and his wife study abroad.

Esteban is photographed in the Cortelyou Commons on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus Photo courtesy of DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief

The Estebans migrated to the United States, where Josephine obtained her MBA from the University of California, Riverside, while he was working toward a doctorate in business administration at the University of California, Irvine.

“We’ve been blessed, being at the right place at the right time, having people who mentored us throughout my academic career who made sure I gave 150 percent effort in everything I do,” he said.

“It paid off in the long haul.”

After completing his doctorate program, Esteban was hired Photos courtesy of Seton Hall University as a marketing professor at the

University of Houston-Victoria in Texas.

He planned to work in academe for five years at most before returning to the private sector.

However, opportunities at various institutions across the country arose.

The Esteban family then moved to Arkansas, where he was a professor and associate vice president of academic affairs at Arkansas Tech. Eventually, he transferred to the University of Central Arkansas, also as a professor, before being named the dean of the College of Business.

PAGE B2

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Liza Soberano open to joining beauty contests by

Deni Rose BeRnaRDo Philstar.com

Almost coinciding with Binibining Pilipinas’ announcement of its new candidates is liza soberano’s admission that she is open to join beauty pageants, in response to social media clamor for her to represent the country in miss Universe.

“We’ll see,” she said when asked at a press conference if she is willing to heed her dad’s wish for her to join beauty contests.

“I guess, it’s a father’s dream for his daughter to be known around the world. my dad is so proud of Pia Wurtzbach when she won last year, so that’s why he wants me to join.

But right now, I’m just focusing on pag-aartista and also studying. I don’t have enough time to actually prepare, to actually commit to being a beauty queen,” she said. she admitted that she does feel the pressure to look beautiful all the time because people have attached the word “beauty” to her.

For her, the ultimate beauty icon is Audrey Hepburn. “she’s a timeless, classic beauty and she’s beautiful inside-out. she’s someone I really look up to.” to take care of her beauty, she

The cast of Regal Films’ thriller “Pwera Usog”: Albie Casiño, Cherise Castro, Joseph Marco, Sofia Andres, Kiko Estrada and Devon Seron Liza Soberano

said: “I always make sure I moisturize a lot, especially around the eye area. At the end of the day, I make sure to remove my makeup.

I also drink a lot of water and use a good soap.”

For her fellow youth, she advised them to always go for natural makeup. “of course, if you’re going to school, you want to look natural. You want to look yourself, of course. Just light. For teens, students in high school and college, just powder, lipstick, a

little of blush. I always believe in natural makeup, so you’d still look like yourself. It depends on what you’re going for. If you’re going for something spectacular to wow everybody, then wear something bongga—bold lipstick and something that gives a statement. For me talaga, just natural to look like yourself.”

Besides doing two soap operas, one with her reel-and-real-life partner Enrique Gil, liza hopes to have time to do charity work.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY SOUTHERN NEVADA REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY

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Albie Casiño admits that he almost quit showbiz

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

tHE young cast of Regal Films’ horror-thriller “Pwera Usog,” directed by Jason Paul laxamana, have stories to tell, with those of Albie Casiño and sofia Andres making the most impact. the title refers to the Filipino superstition that if you pinch the face of a baby (and you fail to apply a bit of saliva on its stomach), the baby will get sick or suffer some such negative effect.

Usog (roughly translated as “pulled back” in English) could also mean the derailment of something such as what happened to Albie in the wake of Andi Eigenmann’s revelation that she was pregnant a few years ago, with Albie suspected to be the “culprit” until he was vindicated when Jake Ejercito admitted that he’s really the father.

“I lost offers because of that,” Albie told the movie writers at the recent presscon for ‘Pwera Usog,’ adding good-humoredly, “na-usog ang career ko,” making him seriously consider quitting showbiz which would have been such a waste because, as Albie later proved, he’s one of the few truly talented young actors with a Best Actor award (for his performance as a gay character in “maalaala mo Kaya”) as proof. the good thing about Albie is that he has no qualms about doing daring scenes if that’s what his role calls for.

“If my director tells me to drop my pants,” said Albie, “then I drop my pants,” and did just that (although not totally) in his post-Andi movies, one of them Die Beautiful (as one of the gang that rapes Paolo Ballesteros’ character). still, even if his career is on the upswing, Albie said that he just might decide to quit (temporarily?)

showbiz and pursue his studies abroad.

“But there’s no more anger or bitterness in my heart,” qualified Albie who has yet to meet Jake. “I couldn’t care less about that guy; I don’t have anything to do with him. What’s the point? What would I tell him? I don’t have anything to say to him.”

“Pwera Usog” also stars Kiko Estrada and sofia Andres who have little issues of their own.

“I didn’t break up with Barbie (Forteza),” Kiko belatedly confessed. “It was the other way around. I want to make to clear that I didn’t cheat on her. I still love her. Wala pa siyang kapalit sa puso ko. It was love at the wrong time.”

(Barbie didn’t make any comment, busy as she is with the GmA romcom series “meant to Be” in which she’s torn among four guys played

by Jak Roberto, Ken Chan, Ivan Dorschner and Addy Raj.) “she’s a terrific actress and I’m happy that her career is going great,” adding, “she’s still very beautiful.” saying that she and Diego loyzaga, the problematic son of Cesar montano are “really just close friends,” sofia admitted that Diego did pour his heart out to her before Diego ranted against his father on social media. “I assured him that I will always support him even as I pray na sana magkaayos na sila ng dadniya.” sofia co-starred with Iñigo Pascual in “Relaks, It’s Just Pag-Ibig” and was cast in the teleserye “Forevermore.”

Happily, Joseph marco, another “Pwera Usog” star, has no issue to grapple with. some movie writers noticed that there’s something new about Joseph, although they couldn’t pinpoint it, except to say that that “something” has made Joseph look like a young tirso

Cruz III. take a close look at Joseph yourselves and find out what it is.

But during the Q&A, somebody asked Joseph what “aborted” his budding romance with Alex Gonzaga (they were together in star Cinema’s “Rebound Girl”). Joseph explained that he decided to put his plans for his family as priority over his love life.

Devon seron, another member (with newcomer Cherise Castro) of the cast, recalled that she cried over the big break given her by Regal matriarch lily monteverde and her daughter Roselle who tapped her for the role of a taong grasa (greasy girl) who is turned into an object of a social-media prank by sofia’s character. Enough said about the story to avoid spoiling the suspense.

Followers of ABs-CBN’s PBB (“Pinoy Big Brother”) probably remember Devon as the sweetheart of James Reid inside Big Brother’s house. she finished fourth placer in the reality-tV’s teen Big edition and was last seen in the Kapamilya soap “Be my lady” (with ex-couple Daniel matsunaga and Erich Gonzales) and as one of “It’s showtime’s Girltrends.”

Incidentally, “Pwera Usog” is not direk Jason’s first work under Regal for which he did love Is Blind (with Kiray and Derek Ramsay) and the third Party, and (for other companies) the awardwinning indies “magkakabaung” (which won Best Actor for Allen Dizon in international film festivals) and “Babagwa.”

“It’s my first time to do a horror film,” said Jason. “Directing a horror film can be challenging because your direction must be precise, and so should be the timing and the angling of your shots before you execute the moment of horror.”

A conversation with DePaul University’s...

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“When I was asked to become an administrator was when I thought that maybe this was the career path that’s being unveiled to me, so to speak,” he said, adding “so that’s the path I ended up taking.”

President of Seton Hall University He was once again uprooted and settled in New Jersey in 2007 when he became a provost at seton Hall University, the oldest Roman Catholic diocesan university in the country and one of the largest. He was appointed interim president in late 2010, a capacity he served for six months before being formally named president.

He became the first lay person to lead the Catholic university — which has a population of 10,000 students, over 900 faculty members and 1,800 employees — after its board of trustees created an exception that presidents must be priests.

Esteban reflected on seton Hall’s growth over the past seven years, as well as the changes he’s seen in himself as a leader and educator.

A lot of his time as president, he said, was spent listening to the voices on campus, whether they’re students, faculty or staff administrators in order to create a “vision for [what] the institution could look like in 10-15 years.”

As for accomplishments under his tenure that he’s particularly proud of, Esteban listed a few, yet humbly acknowledged that they

were not solely his own doing.

“In terms of contributions, it’s actually a group effort so it’s hard to point to one thing because we’ve accomplished a lot as a university. For example, if you look at the academic profile of our students, since I was asked to oversee enrollment management in 2009, our sAt scores have gone up over 100 points and 35 percent of our freshmen are in the top 10 percent of their [graduating] class,” he boasted, adding that the student population has become more diverse in terms of ethnicity and also admission to first-generation students.

In 2015, seton Hall unveiled the new College of Communication and the Arts. It also developed a new health and medical sciences campus, which was done in partnership with Hackensack meridian Health, that will house the school of medicine and the College of Nursing and school of Health and medical sciences. In 2018, the university will welcome the first class at the medical school.

Further, the university invested nearly $150 million in campus infrastructure in the last five years, resulting in “zero deferred maintenance,” he said. (the deferred maintenance had reached $36 million in his first few years with the university.)

In a recent release, it boasted that fundraising has reached alltime highs, with $40 million raised in the last year and a half alone. “there are a lot of those tangible things, but to me, the biggest change has been in the culture

Esteban’s presidential investiture on October 14, 2011 Photo courtesy of Seton Hall University

on campus and the perception outside the university. seton Hall has always been a great national university and now more people are hearing about that story and internally, I think there’s been a shift in the culture because we’ve been able to do a lot of things in the midst of the recession,” Esteban said.

Selected to lead the search to find the 12th president for DePaul was a fivemonth, international process, following the resignation of Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider last summer, who had been head of the university since 2004.

In early February of this year, the university’s board of trustees voted unanimously in favor of the 55-year-old Filipino, regarding him as someone who aligns with the core principles of the Catholic institution. He was formally announced as the next president on February 16.

“What appealed to me were saint Vincent [DePaul], the saint of charity, and the university’s mission to help the poor, marginalized and immigrant populations, which are some things very near and dear to our hearts,” Esteban shared.

Part of the motivation of moving to the Windy City is to be closer to his only child, Ysabella, an alumna of seton Hall who is a medical resident at the University of Chicago.

“It’s very a humbling experience that I’ve been selected. my wife and I were just overwhelmed by the reception we received at DePaul when we were introduced,” Esteban shared, referring to a special welcoming ceremony on the Chicago campus he attended last week. “But, there’s a tinge of sadness because seton Hall has been home for 10 years.”

He said he hopes to be remembered at seton Hall as a “collaborative decision maker” who listened and considered all sides. “to me, what is fascinating is the number of individuals I’ve met, like alumni of seton Hall for example, who start off by saying ‘If not for seton Hall, I wouldn’t have been able to go to college.’ that shows you the power of education — how higher ed can transform the lives of individuals,” he said.

As with starting any other job, “it’s about setting priorities” and getting a feel of the culture of the unfamiliar environment through listening and talking to the different members of the university.

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Bela is okay even after the breakup Bea Alonzo: The leading lady of all time

by Boy

ABundA Philstar.com

DeSPITe the end of Bela Padilla’s relationship with businessman Neil Arce, the actress — who currently plays the role of Clara estanislao-de Jesus on ABS-CBN’s “My Dear Heart” — has been telling everyone that her heart is full and happy.

Bela and Neil called it quits after nearly five years of being together.

However, Bela quickly added that Neil would still be in her life, but only in a professional capacity.

“We’ll still work on some projects together. He’s very artistic and creative, and I value his opinion more than anyone else’s,” Bela said. “He and I tend to think alike when it comes to work. We think along the same lines when we’re brainstorming, trying to come up with concepts. We have an understanding that work is work. We were even together recently, on the set of a Dan villegas movie I’m starring in with Jericho Rosales called ‘Luck at First Sight.’ We’re OK.” Bela said that despite the end of their relationship, she and Neil are mature enough to have a good working relationship with each other. Besides, there’s no bad blood between them whatsoever, as their breakup was amicable. There’s no reason for them to be awkward around each other.

“We worked on many concepts together, so I’m still going to see him often. We have a lot of projects in development right now, actually.”

Bela Padilla

While it’s always good when exes can be friends, that’s not the only thing making Bela happy these days. She’s having the time of her life working on “My Dear Heart” as well. As Clara, Bela started out as the female best friend of Zanjoe Marudo’s character Jude de Jesus.

When Clara and Jude got hitched, Clara became the adoptive mother of Jude’s little girl Heart, played by Nayomi. Bela has a lot of scenes with the five-year-old wunderkind who, according to Bela, is her favorite member of the show’s adult cast — probably because when they’re on set, Bela takes care of her like a real mother would.

“Right before a scene, Heart will take my hand, squeeze it and look me in the eye. I think she does that because she needs reassurance, and I think it’s adorable that she tries to get it from me and Zanjoe because we’re the ones she has the

most scenes with.

“I feel touched whenever she does that. I hope she’ll look back on this show with fondness when she grows up. We all enjoy working with her because she’s the life of the set. She walks around giving people hugs.”

Bela added that she also enjoys being paired with Zanjoe who comes to work fully prepared, making him very easy to work with.

“There was one time where we had to do a dramatic scene with Tita Coney Reyes, and I asked Z if I could put my hand on his shoulder,” she recalled. “He said yes, which made me feel comfortable right away. Since our characters are supposed to be best friends, that helped me to gradually build a real friendship with Z off-cam. He’s a good actor. We have different styles. If I have to cry in a scene, I go off and sit by myself. I have to listen to music to get in the mood.

When Z shows up on set, he’s already in character. I don’t know how he does it.”

Bela also loves being able to learn from the veteran actors on the “My Dear Heart” cast, particularly Coney Reyes, who plays heart surgeon Margaret Divinagracia.

“I go to her for advice and moral support when I have to do a big scene. Actually, it was Tita Coney who first told me to accept the offer to do this show, so I owe her,” she revealed.

Bela maybe loveless, but the love she has for her job and her co-stars is enough to make her heart happy.

John Regala’s ghosts

by Ronnie

CARRAsCo ManilaTimes.net

iii

HADN’T THe unconscious John Regala been sighted slumped on the floor in front of a supermarket in Zapote, GMA’s “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” may not have devoted a lengthy episode on the former actor.

But thanks to a concerned passerby nicknamed Toto who rushed to where John fell on his knees in the early morning of February 17, a photo with the actor—clad in jeans, a dark-colored shirt and slip-ons—was immediately uploaded on social media, alerting the public service program.

When interviewed on Kapuso Mo, however, the 51-year-old actor denied earlier reports that he had suffered heart attack. His collapse, as was later found out,

was due to a decrease in his blood sugar level. vignettes couldn’t help but raise questions with regard to John’s confessions about his “dark past,” specifically the illegal activities he admitted to have been engaged in when he needed to survive due to lack of showbiz assignments.

Did we hear it right that John— famous for his gun-toting villain roles on the wide screen—got involved in the trade of loose firearms? And again, is there something wrong with our sense of hearing as he spoke about producing counterfeit money? vignettes could only recall John’s dependency on drugs that got him into a rehab center, all right. But the chapter on the loose ammo and the fake bills may cause concerned institutions

The Instagram post that alerted a TV station on former actor John Regala collapsing at a grocery store.

and agencies to faint as well, or to probe into it.

Anyway, it’s good to note that John, now a born again Christian, is an active environmentalist starting off with a clean slate.

By Monet

Lu

I’ve been asked several times who my favorite actresses are. I remember that my answer would always include this young awardwinning actress—who is also famous for her class and good heart—Bea Alonzo. entertainment, like everything else, evolves as culture changes over the years. And I say this with love toward my friends in the industry: that I long to go back to a time when sophistication and class are much more appreciated and celebrated.

Nowadays, tact is the last thing you would expect from a social setting and being blunt is even considered a quality that one should possess if he or she wants to make it big in show business.

It is often “mistakenly” connoted as transparency—or even honesty. You see this evident on talk shows, at comedy bars, and (even) on the news. Our brand of entertainment now is more satirical in nature rather than deep and reserved. This phenomenon could be the reason why I admire such elegance and grace in selected actors and actresses. One of them goes by the (screen) name, Bea Alonzo.

Bea’s real name is Phylbert Angelie Ranollo Fagestrom. She is half-British since her father, whom she admittedly had not seen since her parents separated, is British. Her mother is a Filipina.

Bea was born October 17, 1987.

She is only in her late 20s, yet acts more mature for her age, and in comparison to her contemporaries.

“Maaga akong tumanda, kailangan kong i-fast forward yung childhood ko kase hindi ako lumakisa normal family. I came from a broken family, di ako pwede mag-inarte na ‘I want this, I want that,” she revealed in a tell-all interview with Boy Abunda in 2010.

It’s remarkable, yet anticipated, that those who grew up not having much in life or have been through hardships are usually those who emerge as stronger and more mature. Such are qualities that I see in Bea.

Bea Alonzo

Bea or “Tisay,” as her old friends know her, was discovered in a local beauty contest before she auditioned and got into ABSCBN’s Star Circle Batch 10. She underwent a series of workshops and several more auditions and go-sees—fruits of which she reaped when she named 2013 “Box Office Queen” and nominated “Best Actress” at the 2014 FAMAS Awards.

I have to say that the award was a bit long overdue. even during her first few appearances on Tv, I already recognized Bea’s raw talent and agreeable demeanor. In 2002, she joined the Tv drama “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay,” which led her to star in major soap operas like “It Might Be You, IkawAng Lahat Sa Akin,” “Maging Sino Ka Man” and “Maging Sino Ka Man: Ang Pagbabalik,” and “Magkaribal.”

Last year, she played the role of not just one—but two completely opposite characters of the same face, as emmanuel and Rose in the highly rated Tv drama series, “Sana Bukas Pa Ang Kahapon,” opposite Paulo Avelino.

Bea Alonzo’s compelling portrayal in these teleseryes did not escape the movies as she dominated the big screen with her blockbuster performances in “Four Sisters and a Wedding,” “She’s The One,” “The Mistress,” “Miss You Like Crazy,” “And I Love You So,” and my personal favorite, “One More Chance.”

She is with Ian veneracion in the new hit teleseries “A Love to Last.” Right now she is also currently dating Gerald Anderson. It

should really come as no surprise that this beautiful and talented lady would get more challenging roles because of her skill and work ethics. I truly believe that apart from talent, it is very important that you know how to handle yourself with grace and class. I have to stress that through Bea’s long stint in showbiz, I have never heard about her get into scandalous issues or gimmicks just to have her name on the front page of a newspaper. Instead, I hear comments of how private, discreet and respectfully honest she is towards her co-stars and even her assistants.

In this time where crassness is considered enjoyable and “hashtag-worthy,” it takes good judgment to know who the real “high-society” people are, and recognize those who are the true protagonists by nature and in real life. It is quite true that “class cannot be bought” because in this crude-infested world we call showbiz, it takes real talent and elegance to shine naturally. *** 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

Jo Koy

March 3

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A conversation with DePaul University’s...

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He intends to bring that type of leadership and way of handling academic affairs to DePaul.

“Every place I’ve been to, I’ve told people to learn to set their priorities. I tell students to find out what theirs are — whether it’s family, friends, Church or your faith, try to live by them. It also means finding your passion. That would make your life a whole lot easier. As a leader, one thing you’ll find about me is that I will listen, I will ask questions and encourage people to give me feedback,” he said.

“But at the end of the day, someone has to make a decision.

If that’s me who has to make a decision, then I’ll explain why. I also understand that as you move up the hierarchy, at some point, it’s going to be me that has to make the final call and the willingness to do that is important.”

As of this writing, Esteban’s replacement at Seton Hall has yet to be named, but he notes that the university has been on a roll in terms of achieving its some of the goals he outlined early in the presidency. He intends to close out this current school year with helping the transition process and making sure the pending projects are on course for completion.

Diversity in higher education Esteban is currently one of three Filipinos serving as a president of an American higher education institution, alongside Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw of St. John’s University in New York and Lori Adrian of Coastline Community College, which has campuses in Orange County, California.

A 2013 study by the American Council on Education found that Asian Americans comprised only 1.4 percent of presidents at fouryear institutions and 2.2 percent of other senior-level administrators.

He has been a champion for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation in education, through his work as founding board member and vice chairman of the AAPI Association of Colleges and Universities — which advocates on behalf of minority-serving institutions that have a significant population of AAPI students — and a board member of the AAPI Research in Education Commission and the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education.

Though Esteban said he would like to see more Filipinos and Filipino Americans ascend the ranks of academia, he reminded that

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

Esteban with his wife Josephine.

Photo courtesy of DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief

Esteban and his wife enjoy a men’s basketball game with the Seton Hall Pirate mascot.

Photo courtesy of Seton Hall University

they must possess the passion to take on such leadership roles.

“As you move up in higher education,” he said, “one realizes that these are 24/7 jobs. You have to have a willingness to serve. You basically put everyone else ahead of yourself. But it can also be very rewarding to be able to have the impact on the lives of the people you serve.”

Even if Esteban never saw himself in higher education before, he now says that this is the field he will continue to be in until he retires.

“If at some point it’s time for me to move on, then I’ll just go back and teach full-time, which would be a great way to complete by academic career,” he said.

With debates surrounding the rising costs of higher education and billions of dollars in student debt here, he said that affordability must be a goal governments and academic institution must work toward.

SERVICES

“There are individual benefits of a college education, but I think those are outweighed by the benefits to society as a whole,” he said. “I think governments — state and federal — have to step up to the plate. In higher ed, we have to do our fair share of making sure that the costs incurred are consistent with what we’re trying to achieve.”

However, even if pursuing higher education is not for everyone, Esteban emphasized that the spark for learning must be kept burning.

“For our entire lives, we should spend learning, whether it’s formal or informal. We have to try continually to enrich ourselves through learning different and new things,” he said. “The world is becoming more and more competitive and I think it’s up to us to make sure that we continue to be competitive in our work. I know it can be difficult at times, but it’s something we should do.”

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Your Immigration Solution atty. RaFael toRReS, iii & atty. NaNCy MilleR On February 21, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) released two new memoranda, which outline how DHS plans to implement President Trump’s recent executive orders concerning the immigrant community. You are probably wondering how these new memoranda may impact you or your family; Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is here to help.

The memoranda demonstrate that DHS intends to aggressively enforce removal provisions against all who may have violated any immigration law. The first memorandum “Enforcement of the Immigration Laws to Serve the national Interest,” focuses on strict enforcement. Of particular note is that DHS is broadly expanding its enforcement priorities. DHS states that only those covered by the memoranda from DHS regarding the program commonly known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, are exempted from enforcement.

In conjunction with this, DHS is

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS WHAT is OPCAB? OPCAB stands for off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery, which is the most popular minimally invasive heart bypass operation today, one that is done on a beating heart. Conventionally, a coronary bypass is done on an arrested heart (chemically-induced cardiac arrest to allow for a quiet field) with the patient connected to a heart-lung machine (pump) that temporarily takes over the oxygenation (lung function) and circulation (heart function) of the patient while the surgery is going on.

Is OPCAB better?

If at all possible, OPCAB, or beating heart surgery, is preferred. Doing the coronary bypass on a beating (non-arrested) heart precludes the use of the heart-lung machine. This pump has the potential of destroying

Features

How do DHS’s new rules affect you? expanding enforcement priorities to include those who have “committed acts which constitute a chargeable criminal offense.” This is very broad. It includes those who have been charged with, but not convicted of, a crime or those whom the government believes may have committed a crime even if they have not been charged.

Furthermore, many entries into the United States that do not comply with the law (including reentry after removal without government permission) are violations of criminal law. Additionally, DHS states that anyone who is a priority is treated as having equal priority for enforcement actions.

Thus, DHS now prioritizes anyone who has committed acts which constitute a criminal offense in the same category as those who have actually been convicted of a crime. The stated plan for enforcing these new priorities includes the hiring of thousands of new DHS officers, using local law enforcement as immigration officers, as well as requiring local law enforcement to provide information to DHS about local communities to aid in carrying out their enforcement priorities.

Do non-citizens still have rights in this increased enforcement

atmosphere? Yes, they do and it is important for them to know and exercise those rights as well as to file for all immigration benefits for which they may be eligible.

The second memorandum “Implementing the President’s Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvement Policies,” describes new DHS policies and procedures to increase penalization of entry without inspection or with false documentation. A major portion of this memorandum emphasizes the importance of detaining persons as “the most efficient means by which to enforce the immigration laws,” and, as such, restricts the ability for detained persons to secure their release from detention. This memorandum also repeats the goal of hiring thousands of additional officers and agents, together with the use of local law enforcement to “perform the functions of an immigration officer,” including the apprehension and detention of persons. It is unclear how the local law enforcement agencies will respond to this command, but it appears safe to conclude that DHS’ overall strength in terms of numbers of officers investigating and detaining persons will increase dramatically.

Beating heart surgery some blood cells, of wasting some essential clotting factors in the blood, and of forming blood clots or air bubbles that could cause stroke, albeit very rare. So, not using the heart-lung machine is a definite advantage, much less invasive and stressful for the patient. As a result, OPCAB patients recover a lost faster, go home much sooner, usually after threefour days after surgery. However, OPCAB is not for everyone.

How is the heart stilled?

With the patient connected to the pump, the heart is arrested by lowering the body temperature (thru blood cooling using a special cooler machine connected to the pump) down to about 2830 degrees centigrade, and by giving the patient a high dose of potassium chloride which stops the heartbeat in a relaxed (flabby) muscular state. This allows the cardiac surgeon to make tiny (2 mm-4 mm) anastomoses (suturing together two arteries or a vein and an artery of the heart, like sewing a sleeve to the shirt, an end-toside or T-connection) using a

magnifying surgical loop (special eyeglasses for an enlarged view), on a non-beating heart.

What are the sizes of the arteries?

The coronary arteries (which feed the muscles of the heart) and the internal mammary arteries (which are harvested as grafts from the undersurface of the breastbone, one from the left and one from the right side) are usually about 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter, about the size of a round toothpick or the lead in pencils.

The vein grafts that are harvested from the leg are on the average about 4 to 5 mm in diameter. To connect vessels this small, we arrest the heart and use a magnifying loop as mentioned above for precise suturing. This is a delicate -- and an essential part -- of the bypass surgery, and requires extreme attention to details, in order for the “pipe connection” to allow maximum blood flow, with the least resistance or impedance.

Any buckling, purse-stringing, or twisting of the anastomosis will cause blood clots in the area of the

Another major portion of this memorandum expands the use of expedited removal against certain persons. Expedited removal is the process by which DHS can remove a person from the United States without a hearing before an immigration judge or review by the Board of Immigration Appeals. DHS reiterates in this memorandum that it has the authority to employ the expedited removal process against those who are apprehended anywhere in the United States and who entered without inspection (meaning without papers) or who sought entry by means of a false claim to U.S. citizenship or without valid entry documents, and who have not been continuously present in the United States for two years.

Formerly, expedited removal was only used against persons apprehended within 100 miles from a United States border and within 14 days of the person’s entry to the United States. There is no appeal of an expedited removal order. It can only be contested by a claim of credible fear of returning to one’s home country.

How does all of this affect you? Clearly, anyone whose immigration status is not settled and secure is at risk. As stated above, T-joint which eventually blocks off, leading to failure of the surgery.

This could spell a disaster, a heart attack. This particular “plumbing job” must be “perfect.”

What suture materials are used?

The sutures we use for the anastomoses have a diameter smaller than human hair. They are technically known as 6-0, 7-0, or, 8-0, which is the smallest of the three. They are propylene (plastic-like, but with greater tensile strength) sutures, commercially called Prolene, which are non-absorbable, unlike silk, which disintegrate with time. Prolene sutures stay intact forever.

How are blockages diagnosed?

The stenoses (narrowing) or occlusion (total blockage) of the coronary arteries are diagnosed with the aid of coronary angiogram (also referred to as cardiac catheterization), where a spaghetti-sized catheter is inserted into the femoral (groin) artery under local anesthesia and its tip directed to the opening of the left and right main coronary arteries.

Dye is injected into the coronary PAGE B6

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 2-8, 2017

non-citizens (as well as citizens) should know and exercise their rights. They should consider seeking the immigration benefits that they are legally eligible for. In some cases, this may mean applying for naturalization as soon as possible. In other cases, this may mean filing a petition for family members while that avenue still exists. Post-conviction relief of a criminal matter may be a timely consideration. no matter what your situation, the best thing you can do is to immediately consult with an experienced and knowledgeable immigration attorney

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who can guide you through these uncertain times. *** 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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Free women’s self-defense workshop in Los Angeles A free women’s self-defense workshop will be held on Saturday, March 5 from 2 to p.m. at St. Columban Filipino Ministry (125 Loma Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90026). It will be hosted by the Los Angeles Philippine Women’s Club in tandem with the Women’s Council of the St. Columban Parish. This is open to all genders. For more information, please contact MOTHER at (213) 268-3222

march 6

Talk and book signing with Susan Quimpo, author of “Subversive Lives” in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey Come see Susan Quimpo, one of the authors of “Subversive Lives” on Monday, March 6 at the Free Public Library of Hasbrouck Heights from 6 to 8 p.m. “Subversive Lives” is a memoir by eight siblings (plus one by marriage) who dedicated themselves to the anti-Marcos resistance in the Philippines. Quimpo will talk about her personal experience during the Marcos years. Books will be available for sale. A book signing will follow after the talk. The Free Public Library of Hasbrouck Heights is located at 320 Boulevard, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604.

march 9

Talk and book signing with Susan Quimpo, author of “Subversive Lives” in New York Come see Susan Quimpo, one of the authors of “Subversive Lives” on Thursday, March 9 at the 67th Street New York Public Library from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. “Subversive Lives” is a memoir by eight siblings (plus one by marriage) who dedicated themselves to the anti-Marcos resistance in the Philippines. Quimpo will talk about her personal experience during the Marcos years. A book signing will follow after the talk. The New York Public Library is located at 328 E 67th St. (between 1st and 2nd Ave.), New York, NY 10065.

m a r c h 9 -1 8

CAAMFEST35 in San Francisco & Oakland Come to the 35th anniversary of CAAMFest from March 9-19 and immerse yourself in expansive and diverse programs celebrating the best in Asian American film, music and food. The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. The annual CAAMFest is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films. It presents approximately 125 works in San Francisco and Oakland over the course of 11 days. Tickets can be purchased online or in person. For more information, please visit http://caamfest.com.

march 11

CSFLU to hold dinner-dance in Brea, CA The City of San Fernando La Union Association (CSFLU) will hold its annual dinnerdance at the Embassy Suites in Brea, CA on March 11. Music will be provided by Willie Manacsa & The Midnight Motion Band. For more information, please call Vangie So, president of the association at (626) 485-3110.

Whitney High School’s 30th annual Pilipino Culture Night in Cerritos, CA Whitney High School’s Club Kaibigan invites you to attend “Ang Ating Salaysay (Our Story),” the 30th annual Pilipino Cultural Night on Saturday, March 11. The matinee show is at 2 p.m. ($12 / ticket), with the evening performance at 6:30 p.m. ($15 / ticket). The show will be held at the high school’s Mac Auditorium (16800 Shoemaker Ave., Cerritos, CA 90703). Any questions can be directed to clubkaibigan@gmail.com.

“Walk for Wishes” in Las Vegas Powered by wish families, volunteers, donors, and friends, Walk For Wishes is a nationwide Make-A-Wish fundraiser celebrating thousands of wishes that have already been granted, while raising funds for future wishes. Proceeds from this event help fund wishes that bring life-changing joy and hope to children battling life-threatening medical conditions in our community. On Saturday, March 11, Make-A-Wish® Southern Nevada partners with Caesars Foundation to present its 16th annual Walk for Wishes. Registration opens at 7 a.m., with opening ceremonies at 8:00 a.m. The 5K Run will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the 1 mile walk at 8:35 a.m. It will be held at Town Square Las Vegas at 6605 Las Vegas Blvd.

South (northwest corner of Town Square Blvd. and North St.), Las Vegas, NV 89119.

m a r c h 1 1 -1 2

Consular outreach mission in Phoenix, AZ A team from the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles will conduct a Consular Outreach Mission in Phoenix, Arizona on March 11 and 12. It will be held at Halo Halo Kitchen (3553 W. Dunlap Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85051) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m by appointment and completed documents only. Please email arizona.consularoutreach@gmail.com with submissions and applications before March 3. No walk-in applicants will be accepted. The following consular services will be rendered: renewal and/or first-time applications for electronic passport ($60 processing fee + $24 mailing fee). New passports will be released to the applicant by mail twelve (12) weeks from March 15, 2017. No lost passport applications will be accepted; Applications for the retention and re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship pursuant to the Dual Citizenship Law ($50 processing fee). Oath taking will be scheduled on the same day for qualified applicants. Applicants are advised to wear appropriate clothing for the occasion; Applications for report of marriage & birth ($25 processing fee + $7 mailing fee); and registration for overseas voting for the 2019 national elections for senators and party list representatives. Fees must be paid in person at the scheduled appointment. Only cash, postal money order or cashier’s checks are accepted.

Personal checks will not be accepted. For more information, please visit http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/. A final list of all applicants will confirmed appointment schedules will be posted on the website by March 8.

march 18

Free vision screenings & walk for sight in San Fernando, CA On Saturday, March 18, the Lions Club event Lions Eyes Across America will be having free vision screenings and a “Walk For Sight” at San Fernando Recreation Park (208 Park Ave, San Fernando, CA 91340). Registration is at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10 a.m. Donate your old eyeglasses and hearing aids. Gather family and friends to support low vision resources throughout Los Angeles. The $15 registration includes a 2017 Lion Eyes T-Shirt.

Contact Vangie Tabberrah at (818) 399-7965 or csvangie.tabb@gmail.com.

FASO’s “Swing the Night Away” in Glendale, CA Swing the night away with Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) on Saturday, March 18 at the Glendale Hilton! Bring your dancing shoes for an evening of swing, two-step, rumba, cha-cha, tango and waltz! Dance Instructors will be available on the floor.

You can feel free to sit back, relax and enjoy the music! No host cocktails at 6:00 p.m, with dinner at 7:00 p.m. Tickets (dinner included) are $125. You can also contact Arlene Ferrolino (213) 248-9850, Bob Shroder (818) 395-8936 or JL Garcia (310) 936-2988 for tickets and sponsorship opportunities information. FASO is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Proceeds will be used to sustain the orchestra, and to fund its education and outreach programs. More information is available on the FASO website at http://www.fasofoundation. 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

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Tweaking the lessons learned from the garden

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA First of 2 parts Thankfully, spring is almost upon us in a few weeks and the earth beckons. The atmospheric river that gave us the blessing of so much rain has quenched the thirst of the earth during the long draught in California. This long, wet and cold winter, believe it or not, is one huge blessing.

We thank and praise God for the mercy he showers upon the earth and his people. Whether you are aware of it or not, miracles, great and small, are happening right before our very eyes. There is a strong sense that countless people are bending down their knees in prayerful supplication of miracles such as abundant rainfall to come. lo and behold, the rains have quenched the parched earth.

Meteorologists have dubbed this atmospheric river above our heads way up in the clouds the “Pineapple Express” which gavus this weather phenomenon.

Tropical moisture from the Pacific Ocean near hawaii runs like a choo choo train to the mainland first hitting the West Coast.

Thank God we now have water for our fields, our plants and many millions of people. at the same time, the rains have exposed the vulnerability of California’s aging infrastructure, such as the dam on the verge of bursting at the seams at lake Oroville in northern California. Parts of roads and freeways need reconstruction.

Water is a blessing but it is also a double-edged sword. It can also destroy. Oh if we only had leaders in California that had the foresight to build more dams and reservoirs for the periods of dryness that are sure to come in cycles. The problem is that we have politicians but no true leaders, who would place the interest of the people rather than their own agenda, in this part of the country.

The gardener at heart tunes out all such concerns. he can tune out all dire fake news of doom and gloom that the mainstream media bombards people with. Media has lost its credibility. Media does not realize that viewers have the power in their fingertips to kill their broadcast with their remote control. People

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” -Claude Monet, speaking of his garden At Giverny have the power to cut off their revenues by unsubscribing. It’s that simple.

This year will still be an unsettling year. This is a transition year with nationalists battling globalists. The Chinese people say that there is always a danger in transitions. and it is true.

So many forces are in play. The country is divided and there are sinister globalist forces that work against the american worker. however, there is a movement worldwide among nations, specially in Europe, to unshackle themselves from unelected unions that dictate how nation states are to live. There will be so much uncertainty in the air as the nation state reasserts its primacy over global forces. The forces of good and evil are aligned. There exists the specter of a protracted war with radical Muslim terrorists gunning for world domination with their visions of a caliphate, looming menacingly in the horizon. The goal for all peaceloving people is to avoid any nuclear war at all costs.

The realist in us thinks there is reason to be anxious. But the true gardener at heart remains unfazed. Cool, calm and collected, he chooses to live in that rare state of grace called equanimity.

Sort of like the old song “que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be”……

It must come from the zen-like peace one gets when one gardens, even if it is simply tending a single potted plant on an office desk. Doing what must be done in the garden is his small way of keeping the delicate balance of nature in his own sphere of influence.

In many ways, gardening is like praying. It keeps fears and anxieties at bay and keeps one centered in the belief that all things in the cosmos work together for good.

I was and still am a reluctant gardener. I was thrust into it by circumstances since I have a thing about not wanting anything dying on my shift. I had to seek

books and advice despite the frenetic schedule of a workaday world as I multitasked my way through the day. nothing I did seemed right at the time. I tended to over water not knowing about the dangers of root rot.

My track record at growing things was dismal, yet I have often wondered what it would be like to watch something grow. I marveled at my mother’s green thumb. She can stick a seemingly lifeless stump at a clump of earth and grow a new beautiful plant nearly every time.

I wasn’t one to give up easily though. Tenaciously, doggedly I hung on to an image of me as a confident gardener. My education on the art and science of growing things had begun. I took baby steps and stumbled countless times. I still do. Only these days, I don’t have very much time as life and its distractions get in the way overly much.

I became quieter within as I began to observe and seek to understand the process of growth, the seasons and the cycle of life. I read voraciously volumes upon volumes about plants and watched public television that featured gardening. nurseries and gardens have become my favorite haunts where I could ask those who knew better. I boned up on my rusty, halting Spanish quizzing the gardener as best I could. finally, I slammed on the brakes fearing I had become boringly, compulsively obsessive. But I found that unless I got down on the ground myself, nothing happened.

I have discovered gardening to be a quiet, solitary pursuit somewhat fit for hermits and loners — unglamorous, unexciting, backbreaking, time consuming, manual, icky, down in the dirt labor that was certainly not meant for immediate gratification. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Mommy D back on the big screen

by Yugel losorata Philstar.com

ThE controversial Dionisia Pacquiao, fondly called Mommy D, is in the cast of Regis films’ “Tatlong Bibe” where she plays a serious character among “broken adults with troubled lives.”

Through a recent phone patch from her hometown in Mindanao, the mother of the country’s greatest boxer Sen. Manny Pacquiao, briefly shared her thoughts and excitement about the upcoming movie with young acts Raikko Matteo, lyca Gairanod and Marco Masa.

“I have recovered from pneumonia. I will bring my family to Manila on March 1 to watch the movie,” she said.

Mommy D made use of an amusing praise to urge moviegoers to watch the film. She related, “Ipinaaabot ko sa fans ko na abangan nila at panoorin ang Tatlong Bibe kasi maganda daw

itong tingnan.”

Producer anicia Joson-Regis said that it was easy to get Mommy D’s nod to appear in the movie when she and her team paid her a visit down south. She said that the sensational sports hero’s mom really wanted to be in a movie.

Regis also took note of Mommy D as “masayang kasama,” recalling that the movie’s director Joven Tan had to teach her how to sing “Tatlong Bibe” a hundred times.

In referring to the film, the down-to-earth recruiting expert-turned-entertainment outfit lady CEO stated, “We believe in strengthening family and providing wholesome and educational entertainment.”

“Tatlong Bibe,” a tale of three children from the countryside in search of, yes, three ducks, has a stellar support cast including Eddie Garcia, angel aquino, Ronnie lazaro, Rita avila, lou Veloso,

Dionisia ‘Mommy D’ Pacquiao, star of Regis Films’ first full-length movie venture titled “Tatlong Bibe.”

Victor neri, Perla Bautista, anita linda and Ernie Garcia.

Part of the movie’s proceeds will go to charity.

Beating heart surgery

PAGE B5 arteries and the whole procedure is recorded in a video movie. This will show the dye in motion, the diameter and integrity of the lumen (inner channel) of the arteries and whether there are blockages or none.

Why not do this test on everyone?

While cardiac catheterization is a safe procedure done daily in various heart centers around the world, it has potential complications like transient irregular heart rhythm, blood clots, arterial leak, disruption in the wall of the artery, bleeding at the puncture site in the groin. While these are rare, there is a golden rule in medicine that says tests, in general, must only be done if there is a clinical indication (justification). If a person has no symptoms or strong family history of heart disease, cardiac catheterization is not recommended. Just about the only exceptions could be an employer required executive check-up, or airline mandated test for commercial pilots. Besides, this is an expensive procedure and insurance companies do not consider this to be a reimbursable prophylactic test.

How is OPCAB done?

With the patient under general anesthesia, the chest is split in the middle, from the base of the neck down to about the tail of the sternum (breastbone), same as in the

conventional technique. With OPCaB, the patient is not connected to a heart-lung machine. There is a special instrument (cardiac stabilizer) that minimizes the heart action in the area of the artery to be bypassed. The rest of the heart continues to beat. This stabilizer restricts the contraction of the heart in the target area, allowing the cardiac surgeon to do his suturing, aided by a surgical loop for magnified (3-4 times) view.

With beating heart surgery, the patient does not feel so zapped, rundown and tired compared to the standard procedure where heart lung machine and cardiac arrest are used.

Does every heart surgeon do OPCAB? no. Only those who had additional training on this particular technique perform beating heart surgery. It is a more tedious procedure and more difficult for the surgeon but much easier on the patient. Putting sutures on tiny arteries while the heart is beating is just like “shooting a tiny moving target.” a surgeon has to “retrain” his mind and hands, and gets used to this cutting edge-technology to be able to do OPCaB. This writer had to undergo such hands-on OPCaB surgical training at the Boston university hospital in Massachusetts, under Dr. R. Cohn, the inventor of the Genzyme Cardiac Stabilizer. My

team and I did our first OPCaB on a 68-year-old american from California, a retiree in Cebu, on June 8, 1999, the first quadruple OPCaB bypass performed in the Philippines, at the Cebu Doctors university hospital.

Even in the united States, only a little more than 60 percent of the surgeons perform OPCaB procedures.

Is the conventional bypass obsolete?

Most definitely not. There are still a large number of patients who could be better served with the conventional on-pump heart bypass. as I stated earlier, OPCaB is not for everyone. But the trend shows more and more coronary bypass procedures are being done on beating hearts today. It stands to reason that OPCaB is here to stay.

Visit philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com. *** 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

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 2-8, 2017

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Solenn, the ‘Renaissance Woman’ by angeL JavieR Philstar.com

cRuz

the expression “jack-of-alltrades” isn’t new to us, especially in showbiz where it is often used to describe actors or actresses who are able to act and perform well with a striking appearance to match, but solenn Heussaff takes it to the extreme.

Apart from hosting, modeling, painting, cooking and her superb skills in make-up, business and fashion design, the Kapuso star has time and time again showcased her remarkable flair in acting and singing. Undeniably more than just a pretty — if not stunning — face, her social media accounts are a testament to her sophisticated, chic, classy and most of the time, quirky personality that we just can’t help but adore.

Currently, solenn’s schedule is kept pretty hectic with tapings for the top-rating telefantasya “Encantadia,” GMA News tV’s lifestyle show “taste Buddies” and the newest comedy-musical show “Full House tonight.” A couple of days ago, she also teased her Instagram followers with a photo of one of her vibrant paintings and used the hashtags #solennxKaeden #solennArt, which is possibly a clue to another art exhibit she’s working on.

It may be impossible

to believe with her fit figure but in her book, Hot sos, solenn talked about her struggles of being bullied in school for her weight when she was younger, causing her to crash diet and develop unhealthy eating habits. At one point, she was even hospitalized for it. thankfully, all that’s in the past now as she shares the advice that got her through it: “If you fall, you will rise again, no matter what.”

But despite the lot of achievements and her sexy, fierce persona is a lady with a soft heart. When asked about the most important person in her life, solenn straightaway answers her family. “If they can be considered a person.” In fact, on the eve of her brother’s birthday, Erwan, solenn along with a couple of friends surprised him by shouting “Happy Birthday” and throwing him a slice of chocolate cake while he was asleep. the video was only a minute long but it showed us a glimpse of her closeness with Erwan and the silly, loving relationship they have. the worth of this relationship isn’t lost even on material things as she proudly shares the thing she utmost values — her family heirloom.

“Yung family ring ko, it’s a crest ring,” solenn says.

speaking of rings, solenn also mentioned one of her special and unforgettable moments. “My wedding,” she smilingly says. On May 21 of last year, solenn tied the knot with her then fiancé Nico Bolzico in an intimate but picturesque wedding in the majestic church of Château de Combourg at Brittany, France. Present at the wedding were only the couple’s closest family and friends.

Career-wise, solenn is as busy as one can be, but the actress proudly says that she loves taste Buddies most among her many shows. “Yun talaga eh, five years in the running na.” she then went on to say how the cast already feels like family to her after being with them for so long. But when it came to roles, solenn utters her Encantadia stint as Cassiopeia the closest to her heart. “It’s the first time people really called me Cassiopeia sa streets or kahit saang lugar,” the Kapuso actress shares. she’s already been to countless places and has met people from all walks of life, but solenn makes it clear that it’s all about every experience and lesson she gained. “For me, every day is a learning step.

Dati ayoko talaga mag-showbiz tapos ngayon na nandito ako, I get to meet so many people and learn so much about people.” solenn also makes it a point to take breaks from work every now and then. One look at her Instagrampage and you’ll immediately notice how much of a jetsetter she is, traveling to countries like Hong Kong, Argentina, Abu Dhabi, Israel, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and more. But when asked for her favorite place, she couldn’t name just one. “For me, all my travels are treasured because I learn something and I experience something different at each country, walang mas better sa iba, they all bring something different to my life,” she explains.

Beaches and mountains are common backdrops in a lot of her photos and most of her vacations are spent outdoors, being the nature-lover that she is, which is why when asked for a message she wants to impart with her followers, solenn without hesitation says, “take care of the planet and the planet will take care of you.”

Beyond a perpetually strong personality, solenn has genuine skill, passion and drive that one simply cannot help but admire. surely, this woman will conquer the world — beauty, wit, that sultry smile and all.

Ebony and Ivory: Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali and Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis; Best Actor Casey Affleck and Best Actress Emma Stone.

Academy Awards 2017 registers many firsts

by Deni

Rose BeRnaRDo

Philstar.com

LOs ANGELEs — the 89th Academy Awards lists many firsts, including perhaps, a first wrongfully announced Best Picture winner. the first winner to be announced at the Academy Awards 2017 was Mahershala Ali, who was awarded Best supporting Actor for “Moonlight.” He is reportedly the first Muslim to win the award. It was also his first Oscar nomination.

Likewise, Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan got his first Academy Award. He received

a Lifetime Achievement Award for doing Hollywood and Hong Kong movies since the 1960s.

Viola Davis, who won the Academy for Best supporting Actress for “Fences,” is the first black woman to be nominated for three Oscars.

Meanwhile, Achievement in Costume Design for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them” is the first Academy Award ever won by a J. K. Rowling film.

“Manchester by the sea” lead actor Casey Affleck got his first Academy Award for Best Actor. the flick also got him the Best Actor distinction from Golden

Globe and BAFtA. “La La Land,” which swept the Oscars with 14 nominations, also has the most wins in Oscar history with seven awards. the musical movie also got the first Oscar nomination and win for its director, Damien Chazelle. the movie also won Best Original song for “City of stars,” as well as Best Production Design, Cinematography, Best Original score and Best Actress.

Best Actress winner Emma stone bested veteran actresses Meryl streep, Isabelle Huppert and Natalie Portman. this is stone’s first Oscar and second nomination.

It’s a boy for Kylie & Aljur

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

Aljur Abrenica and Kylie Padilla

A UNQUE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

AT

MONTEMARIA ESTATES, BATANGAS CITY, PHILIPPINES

WINDING ITS WAY SOON

A PROJECT OF

It’s a boy for sweethearts Aljur Abrenica and Kylie Padilla who is scheduled to give birth sometime in July. the baby, who will have two first names (one of them probably Joaquin), will make Kylie’s father Robin Padilla (photo, right) and mother Liezl sicangco, and stepmother Mariel Rodriguez first-time grandparents. It’s also Aljur’s parents’ first grandchild.

Late last year, Mariel gave birth to her and Robin’s first child, named Maria Isabella, in the states.

Although he hasn’t publicly acknowledged it, Lolo Robin has reportedly forgiven Aljur after he confirmed how very much in love with Aljur his daughter is, and vice-versa.

B march 2-8, 2017 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOUrNaL

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