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Volume10 – Issue 28 • 16 Pages

APRIL 7-13, 2017

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DATELINE

USA

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

DFA: PH-US relations still ‘robust’

the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and the United states “remains robust and very active,” according to the Philippine Department of foreign Affairs (DfA).

Acting DfA secretary enrique manalo made the affirmation during a televised forum this week regarding the upcoming Association of southeast Asian Nations (AseAN) summit. “our relationship with the U.s. remains very robust and active,” manalo told reporters on tuesday, April 4.

Noting that Philippine President rodrigo Duterte has spoken with U.s. President Donald trump earlier this year, manalo said that manila is considering opportunities “to increase the number of discussions” with Washington.

“We are in touch with the United states in various levels. I think the opportunity for us here is to increase the discussion with Us officials,” manalo remarked. “the key is managing tensions while improving relations. our goal is to make our region prosperous.”

According to him, the AseAN ministers are also looking forward to have a meeting with U.s. secretary of state rex tillerson.

“AseAN ministers are hoping to have a

Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

ICE arrests two undocumented Filipinos in Pacific Northwest

by CHristina

m. oriel

AJPress

tWo undocumented filipinos were among the 84 foreign nationals arrested by the United states Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICe) in late march for violating immigration laws or posing a public safety threat.

In an effort to crackdown on undocumented immigrants with criminal records, ICe conducted a three-day

operation in oregon, Washington and Alaska from march 25-27. of those arrested, 77 were men and 7 women. sixty had criminal histories “including prior convictions for sex crimes, drug offenses, and domestic violence,” the agency said in a statement.

Nineteen had been previously convicted of driving under the influence.

Individuals targeted were “criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat

and individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who re-entered the country after being deported and immigration fugitives ordered deported by federal immigration judges,” ICe explained.

Bryan Wilcox, acting field office director for ICe’s enforcement and removal operations (ero) in seattle, said the three-day sweep highlights ICe’s “commitment to promoting public safety through the pursuit of

targeted criminals residing in the U.s. illegally.” “our officers will continue in their efforts to create safer communities by identifying and removing those not willing to comply with U.s. laws,” Wilcox added. some of the individuals arrested during the enforcement action will be presented for federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation, a felony

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Federal judge extends block on Trump’s travel ban the federal judge in hawaii who halted President Donald trump’s revised travel ban has extended his order blocking the executive order. the judge, United states District Court Judge Derrick Watson, made the decision to implement a longer-lasting halt on the travel ban — which was a revision on a first execuJudge Derrick Watson tive order that was defeated by a federal appeals court — just hours after hearing arguments on Wednesday, march 29. the revised travel ban was to temporarily restrict U.s. travel from six predominantlymuslim countries and suspend the U.s. refugee program. two weeks ago, the state of hawaii sued

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Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno has been fired by President Rodrigo Duterte due to “lack of trust and confidence.”

SUBSTITUTE. Cutout photos of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno are seen in place of immigration officers at the counters of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday, April 4. Many employees have resigned or refused to report to work over the non-payment of overtime hours. They are assailing Diokno for claiming the amount sought is illegal.

Philstar.com photo Rudy Santos

Immigration to deploy 170 personnel to PH airports tion officers were picked up on Wednesday from the BI main office in Intramuros, manila and the Bureau of Immigration other immigration field offices in (BI) is deploying an additional various parts of the country.

170 immigration officers to the In a memorandum order, ImNinoy Aquino International migration Commissioner Jaime Airport (NAIA) and other inter- morente directed 150 immigranational airports as a remedial tion officers currently assigned measure to address the bureau’s at the bureau’s main office and manpower shortage that had field offices nationwide to imresulted in queues before immi- mediately report to the NAIA gration counters. and assist in processing of arrivthe additional immigra- ing and departing international

by William

B. Depasupil ManilaTimes.net

NDF orders Aquino’s arrest, trial over violent Kidapawan dispersal

by AJPress

Former President Benigno Aquino III

maitem

Inquirer.net

“I CoULD never be misinformed.” that was how President rodrigo Duterte on thursday, April 6 defended his decision to fire former Interior secretary Ismael “mike” sueno.

“And when I make a move, when I fire you, right there, I know what I am doing,” Duterte said at Camp Artemio ricarte in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

“I could never be misinformed.”

Duterte said he would not tolerate even a “whiff” of corruption among his Cabinet officials. “sabi ko the first whiff, ang unang singaw lang, miski hindi totoo, ba-bye tayo. maraming kapalit sa gobyerno. hindi tayo nagkulang ng talent, bright, pati iyong honest with integrity,” he said.

Interior Undersecretary for Public safety Jesus hinlo

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‘Know Your Rights’ urged after first Pinoy deported under Trump Domingo

AJPress

the National Democratic front (NDf) in southern mindanao is calling for the arrest of former President Benigno simeon Aquino III and other government officials for crimes against humanity reportedly committed during the violent dispersal of protesting farmers in Kidapawan last year.

In a statement issued during the one-year anniversary of the incident on saturday, April 1, the NDf claimed that Aquino and other officials perpetrated “war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”

by Jeoffrey

Immigration groups, advocates hold workshop as a guide to undocumented Filipinos

by HeatHer

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travelers. the 20 other immigration officers, who originally were assigned to BI field offices in Pampanga, Davao, Aklan and Cebu, are to report to the airports in Clark (Pampanga), Davao (Davao City), Kalibo (Aklan) and mactan (Cebu) to augment the number of BI personnel assigned there.

“With the fielding of these additional immigration officers, we are confident that those queues

Duterte stands by move to fire Sueno: I know what I’m doing

foLLoWING the deportation of rey Galleon, filipino-American community organizations like the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) in Los Angeles are urging undocumented filipinos to know their rights in the event they are approached by U.s. Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICe).

Galleon, an undocumented filipino who had been living in san Bernardino, California for several years, was

taken by ICe agents after dropping his daughter off at school on friday, march 17. he reportedly did not have a criminal record.

PWC said Galleon’s case was the first one it received regarding an undocumented filipino being deported since President Donald trump took office in January.

According to Galleon, ICe manipulated and coerced him into signing a document, which was actually a ‘voluntary departure form.’ he was able to persuade the officers to allow him

to go back to his home to get clothes, which presented him the opportunity to tell his wife to escape before the officers could reach them as well. he then paid for a plane ticket himself and returned to the Philippines. “he was a simple father trying to raise his family in the U.s and not trying to get attention,” said Lolita Lledo, associate director of PWC, whom Galleon contacted through facebook messenger not long after he arrived in the Philippines. Galleon, who

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A APRIL 7-13, 2017 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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From the Front Page

ICE arrests two undocumented Filipinos…

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punishable by up to 20 years in prison, ICE said.

However, those “not being criminal prosecuted will be processed for removal from the country,” while those who have outstanding orders of deportation or those who returned to the U.S. illegally after being previously deported are “subject to immediate removal from the country.”

The identities of the two Fili-

pinos and their convictions have not been released, as of press time. These arrests come after Rey Galleon, an undocumented Filipino living in Southern California, was deported following an encounter with ICE agents earlier in March.

Galleon, who reportedly did not have a criminal record, is considered to be the first Filipino deported under the Trump administration.

In addition to the two Fili-

pinos, nationals from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, United Kingdom, Cambodia, Brazil, Laos, Western Samoa, Myanmar, and Russia were also arrested in the Pacific Northwest.

ICE said it carries out targeted enforcement operations daily across the country.

“Those persons will be evaluated on a case by case basis and, when appropriate, arrested by ICE,” the agency added. n

Duterte stands by move to fire…

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BOY SCOUTS. President Duterte gives a high five to kid scout Cyrelle Kean Adolfo after the Chief Executive was installed as the chief scout of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines at Malacañang on Monday, April 3. Looking on are BSP officials Wendel Avisado and Cedrick Train.

Krizjohn Rosales

said Sueno was fired because of his involvement in the purchase of the firetrucks without public bidding.

Hinlo said there was a case pending in the Supreme Court involving the firetrucks but Sueno still proceeded with the trans-

action.

Duterte, in a speech at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Tuesday night, mentioned a legal opinion that Sueno had told him he knew nothing about.

“If you answer me with that kind of statement, that you never

read the legal opinion of the legal officer of your own office, it’s either you’re taking me for stupid, an idiot, or you are lying through your teeth,” he said.

Duterte has since appointed undersecretary Catalino Cuy as the department’s officer in charge. n

NDF orders Aquino’s arrest, trial over violent… Immigration to deploy 170 personnel…

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NDF said the indictment “effectively prescribed the arrest” of Aquino and the other individuals.

Among the officials tagged in the allegations were North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista, North Cotabato Representative Nancy Catamco, several Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) civilian personalities, and other military and police officers.

NDF said that “after due trial by a People’s Court,” the respondents must “be meted out with appropriate penalties” “The People’s Democratic Government found compelling evidence that the ‘gross neglect and apathy and willful acts and/of omissions’ of the named-respon-

dents violated the fundamental rights of the civilians guaranteed in international tenets, covenants and instruments,” the group said.

On April 1, 2016, at least 6,000 farmers in Kidapawan City, Cotabato protested the alleged lack of assistance from the local government amid the worsening El Niño. Two protesting farmers were killed and more than a dozen others were injured during the incident.

The group also said that the “willful shooting that resulted in multiple violent deaths and serious injuries, the incarceration and the maltreatment of civilians, were all deliberate acts of aggression against defenseless civilians and vulnerable sections of the civilian population long considered under IHL (International

Humanitarian Law) as protected persons.”

In response, Malacañang assured that Aquino and the other officials tagged by NDF will be protected.

“Security measures are in place to guarantee the protection of the former president and other personalities mentioned by the announcement of the National Democratic Front,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

Refusing to recognize NDF’s “indictment,” Malacañang maintained that “only the appropriate body can rule on the issue.”

“We only have one government and one justice system in the Philippines,” Abella said. “Only the appropriate body can rule on the issue of the violent dispersal of farmers in Kidapawan.” n

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before our counters will be lessened so as not to inconvenience travelers who are going on vacation here and abroad for the Lenten season and Easter,” Morente said.

The BI chief disclosed that he had ordered the cancelation of all approved leaves of Immigration employees during the month.

Pending applications will also be disapproved, he said.

Morente explained that the deployment to the airports is only temporary and that the affected employees will be recalled to their old units after the Lenten break.

He conceded that the employees’ reassignment will cause a slight slowdown in operations of the offices that they will temporarily vacate.

Professionalism, prudence “I appeal to our rank-and-file to remain patient and focused PAGE A1 t At the event, Emi MacLean, on their responsibilities as everyyears may bring under the curwas a member of PWC until he rent administration. who is an attorney with the Na- thing is being done to address moved from Los Angeles to San However, his story is also a tional Day Laborer Organizing their financial plight that resultBernardino, told Lledo he was lesson that other Filipinos can Network (NDLON), discussed ed from the loss of their overtime unaware of how ICE found out learn from. In response to this, types of deportations and precau- pay,” Morente said.

“We stand together in this his exact address. a “Know Your Rights” training tionary measures undocumented He was later joined by his wife and workshop — hosted by the residents can take. She empha- quest for what is due and proper. and their two U.S.-born children Association of Filipino Work- sized that ICE can raid commu- We must continue to act with a week later. ers and ICE Out of LA Coalition nities, homes, jails, and work- professionalism and prudence, Galleon’s story serves as an — was held at PWC on Saturday, places; but cannot raid schools, strong and confident in the beexample of what the next four April 1. u PAGE A3 lief that justice will prevail,” he

Immigration groups, advocates hold…

Philippine Bureau of Immigraton

added.

Earlier, Morente and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to reconsider the latter’s veto of the use of the BI’s express lane collections in paying the overtime services of the bureau’s organic personnel and the salaries of its contractual employees.

They proposed that the overtime pay be temporarily reinstated until Congress enacts a new immigration law that will upgrade the salary scale of BI employees.

Immigration employees also on Wednesday, April 5, in a twopage open letter addressed to

Photo courtesy of Bitedge.com

the President, pleaded for retention of the express lane fund in the bureau to be utilized for their unpaid overtime.

“Our dear President, without your help, about 1,000 of us or 40 percent of our workforce will automatically lose our jobs and will join the unemployed sector of our country. With a meager pay, the rest of us will wallow in poverty,” the letter read.

It said, “Our families will suffer tremendously. We will have very limited resources to pay for our monthly bills and rents. We will face extreme difficulties in providing for the basic needs of our

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Dateline USa

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 7-13, 2017

Duterte: Occupy PH islands in South China Sea

by Redempto

d. AndA

Inquirer.net

FLOODED CEREMONY. Without shoes and sandals, 97 Grade 6 pupils graduated with their heads held high in Lamitan City, Basilan on Tuesday, April 4 despite flooding at the ceremony venue. The students of Balas Elementary School in Barangay Balas were in their school uniforms for the simple graduation rites in the school’s multipurpose hall when it began to rain heavily. Maria Nava, the school principal, said the incessant rain came as they were already in the middle of the graduation rites.

Philstar.com photo

Immigration groups, advocates hold…

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hospitals, or places of worship.

Vanessa Deleon from the Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) also explained that undocumented workers who may have suggestive tattoos could get them a gang injunction or be placed on a database of suspected gang members, increasing their chances of deportation. Those with misdemeanors can qualify to have their charges expunged through YJC, she added.

Although Trump has said in the past that his primary focus is to deport those with criminal records, speakers on Saturday argued that Galleon’s story proves otherwise and that the basis for deportation has become broader.

“The Trump era brought a faster deportation process, a more regular use of immigration jails, and more raids in homes and work, and encouraged a better collaboration between the police department and ICE,” said MacLean.

She also explained that even those with a green card are not entirely exempt so it is important to attend a legal clinics or workshops to be well-informed of one’s rights “I am not saying this to scare you. I am saying this because it shows we need to support one another, educate ourselves on our rights, and fight back,” she emphasized.

Lledo also spoke out about Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s stance that he would not ‘lift a single finger’ to help the undocumented Filipinos in the U.S. “And we want to remind you, President Duterte, that most of these undocumented are your supporters. They send you money during the election. [They] are still Filipino citizens,” Lledo

said, adding, “You cannot ignore them. Even if they are far away, suffering, they have been helping [their] country. Why would [Duterte] not open the Philippines consulate to help us to provide legal service? They could organize immigration Filipino lawyers and send a lawyer to someone like [Rey].”

She went on to say that instead of “trying to cower in fear every time you read the news about an arrest,” undocumented Filipinos should attend legal clinics or seek advice from a lawyer about their cases.

Although she is single and has never had children, Alice (last name withheld), 52, said she still has so much family to help. Alice graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in pharmacy, but is working in the U.S. as a caregiver.

“I am here to provide for my nieces and nephew. I am the one sending them to school. My niece and nephew are graduating college this March,” she said.

She added that undocumented individuals need support groups because “in times like this PWC, gives information of what to do and what not to do during this hard time. And if in case, whatever happens, PWC has a support system that can help the person.

It’s not guaranteed, of course, that a person will always get what they want but at least the person knows there is someone that will help throughout any case.”

For other participants, the workshop proved beneficial as it equipped them with the proper resources in case they encounter immigration officials.

“The workshop helped me because if ICE knocked on my door, I now know what to do. I love America and I don’t want to go home. I have been here 13 years.

My parents and brothers and sis-

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent heads out to apprehend an immigrant without legal status in Riverside, Calif.

Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Immigration to deploy…

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loved ones. Our children may not finish their education.”

According to Red Mariñas, BI Port Operations Division chief at the NAIA, more than 3,000 BI officers are on leave as of February 17 this year, including front liners at the country’s premier airport.

An airport official who requested anonymity said fear of mass resignation of Immigration officers will put the premier airport vulnerable to illegal entry of suspected terrorists who would take advantage of the lack of officers who are experts in profiling undesirable aliens.

Vulnerable to terrorists The letter senders said, “Our airports, border-crossing stations in the South [Mindanao], field officers and sub-ports nationwide will be undermanned, or worse, unmanned. There will be queues in the airports and other BI offices and our borders will be vulnerable to the terrorists. Because of these dangerous consequences, our national security might be compromised.”

They noted that “the express lane system has been in place for almost 30 years now. It has been the source of ultimate compensation for the bureau’s personnel and only the passage of the new

immigration act will answer the deficiencies that the express lane has effectively addressed.”

DBM Secretary Benjamin Diokno earlier assured that a total of P224.835 million has been appropriated in Fiscal Year 2017 General Appropriations Act specifically for the overtime pay of BI employees.

Mariñas, however, said the DBM is yet to release the overtime pay and many employees mostly casual ones have opted to resign because they could no longer cover their expenses.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) has already confirmed the legal basis for the utilization and disbursement by the bureau of the express lane fund.

According to the DoJ, since there is a law that specifically exempts the collections for overtime service from provisions of Section 63 of Presidential Decree 1445, the express lane fund may not be remitted to the national treasury.

Meanwhile, passengers of international flights are advised to be at NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3 at least four to five hours before their respective estimated times of departure because of the lack of immigration personnel manning the BI counters there. (With Benjie Vergara)

ters are all U.S. citizens but I was petitioned as married so it will take longer. I have to send three boys to school,” Ford (last name withheld), 56, said.

Another story that came to light was Rose (last name withheld), 62, who has been working as a caregiver. In August 2015, she was assigned to a woman in her 90s, who was diagnosed

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A

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — President Duterte on Thursday, April 6, said he had ordered troops to deploy to and fortify unoccupied South China Sea islands and reefs claimed by the Philippines, a move that could provoke rival claimants, including China.

Mr. Duterte also announced that he may visit Pagasa Island, internationally known as Thitu Island, and raise the Philippine flag there on Independence Day, June 12.

The Philippines marks its 119th year of independence from more than three centuries of Spanish rule on June 12.

Taking what is ours “It looks like everybody is making a grab for the islands there, so we better live on those that are still vacant,” Mr. Duterte told reporters during a visit to the headquarters of the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan province, near the disputed Spratly archipelago.

China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea despite rival claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, and has rapidly built reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.

Mr. Duterte has previously sought to improve the Philippines’ relations with China by adopting a nonconfrontational approach to their competing

claims.

He has deferred assertion of an international tribunal’s ruling in favor of the Philippines in a challenge to China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea and made overtures to Beijing that have led to improvement in relations between the two countries.

But he appeared to alter his tone with his announcement on Thursday, saying it was time to “erect structures there and raise the Philippine flag.”

He made clear, however, that he was not diverting from his administration’s stance of making “friends with everybody,” including China.

He said the Philippines only sought to make sure it had a strong presence on the islands it occupied.

“We try to be friends with everybody, but we have to maintain our jurisdiction, at least [in] the areas that we control,” Mr. Duterte said.

“I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all these islands and put up the Philippine flag [there],” he said.

“This coming Independence Day, I may go to Pagasa to raise the flag. We want to make a strong point that that is ours,” he said.

Kalayaan Islands Pagasa Island is the secondlargest island in the Kalayaan group in the Spratlys occupied by the Philippines. It is located 480 kilometers west of Puerto Princesa City and is part of the municipality of Kalayaan.

Occupied by the Philippines since 1970, Pagasa is tightly protected by the military and the population is composed of soldiers and their families.

The island has a 1,300-meter airstrip and structures, including a municipal hall and an elementary school.

The military has requested funds to upgrade the runway on Pagasa and the living quarters of troops stationed there, but work on the improvements has been deferred in keeping with an agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China to maintain the status quo in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement, however, did not stop China from building artificial islands on seven reefs in the Spratlys, including some claimed by the Philippines.

Philippine claims Besides Pagasa Island, Philippines occupies Likas Island (West York Island), Parola Island (Northeast Cay), Lawak Island (Nanshan), Kota (Loaita Island), Panata Island (Lankiam Cay), Rizal Reef (Commodore Reef), Balagtas Reef (Irving Reef) and Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).

In addition, the Philippines claims Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef), Zamora Reef (Subi Reef), Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross Reef), Calderon Reef (Cuarteron Reef), Burgos Reef (Gaven Reef), Mabini Reef (Johnson South Reef) and McKennan Reef (Hughes Reef), all of which

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Pacquiao-Horn match confirmed

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

FILIPINo boxing champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has signed a contract for a July match against olympian Jeff Horn in Australia, Top Rank chief Bob Arum disclosed on Tuesday, April 4.

Speaking to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Arum said Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing organization (WBo) welterweight title against Horn on July 1 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. other details, however, have yet to be finalized.

“We’re slowly finishing up the deal to fight,” Arum told the newspaper. “People have agreed on essential points.”

“Paperwork takes time, particularly when it’s not the usual thing of getting it done in the United States. We’re dealing ECO-TOURISM PROJECT. Sen. Cynthia A. Villar was joined by Ms. Earth 2017 candidates during the ground breaking ceremony for the eco-tourism facilities of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park. The senator, chair of the Senate committee on environment, said this would signal the construction of eco-tourism and conservation facilities of the soon-to-rise park. She said structures to built will boost the wetland’s natural landscape and will make our people’s visit more convenient and educational. Also in the photo are Architect Aaron Lasiones, lead designer of the wetland and DOT NCR Regional Director Benjamin Santiago (wearing hat).

Senate photo

DFA: PH-US relations still…

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meeting with Secretary Tillerson.

It’s only a matter of scheduling problems,” Manalo said.

He went on to say, “I think the State Department is still in the process of reorganizing and I think we also have to give them some time but in the meantime we are, as much as possible try-

ing to maintain contacts.”

With the Philippines as its chair, the upcoming 30th ASEAN summit will be held from April 26 to 29 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City.

Manalo said that the Philippine government is “trying to maintain contact with the view of

enhancing our bilateral cooperation with the United States” and also “at the regional level in the ASEAN context.”

“The U.S. should continue to be positively engaged in the (Southeast Asian) region,” Manalo added. “We hope U.S. would promote greater security cooperation.” (AJPress)

Federal judge extends block on Trump’s…

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to end the travel ban on the grounds that it violated the Constitution. The extension of the block will be in effect until the lawsuit is resolved; until then, the state sees this as a win for Muslim citizens in the United States after “repeated stops and starts of the last two months,” the state of Hawaii said in a statement.

Watson’s reasoning to extend the block coincides with his decision to implement the block two weeks ago: a precedent from the Supreme Court that used Trump’s rhetoric about Muslims during the presidential campaign to justify the unconstitutionality of the travel ban.

“The court will not crawl into a corner, pull the shutters closed, and pretend it has not seen what it has,” Watson wrote in a state-

ment on Wednesday.

In his initial ruling that blocked the revised travel ban, Watson said that that the state of Hawaii displayed “a strong likelihood of success on the merits of their Establishment Clause claim, that irreparable injury is likely if the requested relief is not issued.”

The Establishment Clause falls under the First Amendment and it prohibits the government from passing laws that favor one religion over another. Watson argued that the executive order, by banning travel from Muslim-majority nations, deliberately disfavors Muslims.

In addition to allowing travel from the six Muslim countries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen), Watson’s order also stops the suspension of the refugee program, a program

orchestrated by the State Department which protects refugees coming to the U.S. and assists in adjustment to life in the U.S. In response to the ban, the Justice Department — on behalf of the Trump administration — asked the judge to narrow the ruling to involve only the part of the order that prohibits new visas for people in the banned countries.

“The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the federal district court’s ruling. The President’s executive order fails squarely within his lawful authority in seeking to protect our nation’s security, and the department will continue to defend this executive order in the courts,” a spokesperson for the Justice Department wrote in a statement.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

with an Australian promoter, the state government. Here, in this case, you’ve got to cross the T’s and dot the I’s, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing,” he added.

Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, also confirmed Arum’s statement.

“Yes [Manny signed the contract] this morning,” Koncz told Philstar.

Arum initially endorsed Pacquiao’s match against undefeated Horn on April 23, but was put on hold as the possibility of a match against Britain’s Amir Khan this coming May in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was explored.

The proposed UAE fight against Khan, however, was dropped apparently due to financial issues.

Koncz said he is still looking at the possibility of a PacquiaoKhan bout after the upcoming

match against Horn.

“I am still working on putting a deal together [for Manny] to fight Amir Khan in october or November either in the Middle East or the Philippines,” Koncz said.

Pacquiao, with a record of 596-2 win-loss-draw, won his last match via unanimous decision and defended his WBo welterweight title against Jessie Vargas last year. Horn, on the other hand, has a record of 16-0-1 and 11 Kos. Expressing confidence that the fight against Horn bout will be a blockbuster in Australia, Arum said he expects the tickets for the 55,000-capacity stadium will be sold-out.

“Horn is an Aussie. There’s government behind it. They want the fight. They wanted Manny Pacquiao. Essentially, to buy the cheese, they wanted Pacquiao against this Aussie fighter,” Arum said. n

US to continue giving PH aid despite Duterte tirades

by Joey

a. Gabieta Inquirer.net

TACLoBAN CITY, Leyte — The United States government will continue to extend assistance to the Philippines despite the scathing attacks of President Duterte against the superpower.

“We will not change ever. We will continue to be your friend and supporter,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said on Tuesday, April 4.

He added that the alliance between the two countries has always been deep and would remain strong “in the years and decades to come.”

Kim was in Tacloban City and the nearby town of Palo on Tuesday afternoon to turn over a training center and classrooms as part of the US government’s assistance to Leyte in the aftermath of the massive destruction caused by Supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’(international name: Haiyan) in 2013.

“The US and the Philippines have a close partnership, very close friendship and very strong alliance for many, many years. In fact, the US- Philippines alliance is the longest alliance we have in the whole Pacific Region,” Kim said during a brief interview on Tuesday afternoon.

He said the presence of 4 million Filipinos living or working in the US and about 300,000 Americans staying in the Philippines has demonstrated “the depth of

US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim accepts letters of gratitude from the students of the Anahawan National High School for the six classrooms donated by the US government as part of its assistance to Leyte in the aftermath of Super typhoon ‘Yolanda’(international name: Haiyan) in 2013.

Inquirer.net photo by Joey Gabieta

our ties.”

“We have the deepest possible friendship between the people of two countries… That is why, we want to make sure that we maintain our strong military partnership and our economic engagement…and the most important (of all), we wanna make sure the foundation of people to people ties, our deep friendship between the Americans and Filipinos will continue years and decades to come,” the US ambassador added.

The relations between the two countries appeared to have soured under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte who lambasted the US in late 2016 after then outgoing US President Barack obama criticized his intensified war on illegal drugs that

resulted in the deaths of at least 7,000 drug users and pushers.

Kim assured the Philippine government and its people that his country and people would continue to provide assistance just like what they did when the country, particularly Eastern Visayas, was pummeled by Yolanda.

The US government provided $143 million or around P7 billion to the country in the aftermath of Yolanda.

US assistance included the construction of more than 300 schoolrooms, 237 of which are in different towns in Leyte and 27 others in Tacloban City, considered the ground zero of the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland. on Tuesday, Kim turned over six classrooms to the Anahaway

u PAGE A5

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US: Corruption in PH courts a trade barrier by richMond

S. MErcurio

Philstar.com

LAKE CLEARING. Government personnel dismantle illegal fish pens on Laguna de Bay. The Laguna Lake Development Authority had said that the removal of hundreds of fish pens will improve the condition of the lake and allow small fishermen to regain their livelihood.

ManilaTimes.net photo

US diplomat urges 2 major additions to PH cybercrime law by richMond

S. MErcurio

Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines should make two key additions to its Cybercrime Law in order to address the evolving and increasing number of online threats and cybercrime cases in the country, a top US diplomat said.

“There are two areas where we can see an opportunity to even better this legislation (Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012): Registering of SIM cards and the preservation of contact data for internet service providers,” US Embassy legal attaché Lamont Siller said on Thursday, March 30 at ITBPM Cyber Security Summit.

“Both of these things would

make life easier for law enforcement to investigate cyber-related crimes,” Siller added.

Siller, also a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), lauded the country’s current cyber laws but said it has a “couple of loop holes.”

“As a law enforcement officer it’s very difficult to track down.

Maybe if there is a point of registration that must take place to register that SIM card with an identification card, this would give, law enforcement a starting point, especially in extortion cases where we see its very difficult to track down who is text messaging who and that is something Sen. Grace Poe is already pushing for,” he said.

“Another proposal is the fact that the internet service provid-

ers (ISPs) here are storing content data and when that data is requested from the law enforcement, a lot of times they don’t always have it. If the hack takes place, it takes more time for law enforcement in the Philippines to acquire that needed information to resolve such timely attack.

If there was a mandate to make these ISPs store that data longer, that will be more helpful,” Siller added.

The Philippines and the US in August last year initiated a joint cyber-security working group aimed at strengthening the capability of the Philippine government in addressing cyber intrusions and also in responding and assisting companies that fall victim to malicious cyber attacks. n

A

MANILA — The prevalence of corruption in the Philippines – including in the judiciary – has remained a significant barrier to trade with the United States, a report by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) shows.

“Corruption is a pervasive and longstanding problem in the Philippines. Both foreign and domestic investors have expressed concern about the propensity of Philippine courts and regulators to stray beyond matters of legal interpretation into policymaking, as well as about the lack of transparency in judicial and regulatory processes,” the USTR said in its 2017 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers.

The USTR said reports of corruption and irregularities in customs processing likewise persist, including in the valuation process. The report also cited customs officials seeking payment of unrecorded facilitation fees.

“In particular, despite a firm commitment to the United States from the Bureau of Customs to use transaction values to assess duties on imports, as provided

for in the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, importers have reported that the Bureau of Customs continues to use reference prices for valuation of meat and poultry,” the USTR said in its report. “Traders have reported that reference prices are frequently well above the transaction prices, which has the effect of imposing an artificially high tariff.”

According to the USTR, trade barriers can be broadly defined as government laws, regulations, policies or practices that protect domestic goods and services from foreign competition, artificially stimulate exports of particular domestic goods and services, or fail to provide adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPR).

The report indicated that despite significant improvements in the Philippine IPR environment in recent years, US rights remain concerned about the continued availability of pirated and counterfeit goods in the Philippines, slow investigation of IPR-related cases by the Department of Justice and judicial inexperience in handling IPR enforcement cases, both civil and criminal.

“US rights holders report some

concerns, including increasing online piracy, counterfeit drugs and weak provisions in patent law that may preclude the issuance of patents on certain chemical forms unless the applicant demonstrates increased efficacy,” the USTR said. “The United States has also been monitoring the development of new regulations related to geographical indications.”

Also included among barriers to trade are the country’s meat handling rules and import clearance system.

For meat handling rules, the Philippines currently maintains a two-tiered system for regulating the handling of frozen and freshly slaughtered meat for sale in local wet markets.

As far as import clearance is concerned, the Department of Agriculture requires importers to obtain a sanitary and phytosanitary permit prior to shipment of any agricultural product and to transmit the permit to the exporter.

The USTR said such requirement adds costs, complicates the timing of exports and prevents the transshipment to the Philippines of products intended for other markets. n

HRW researcher defends New York Times vs Palace accusations

by Ed

MargarEth Barahan Inquirer.net

HUMAN Rights Watch researcher Carlos Conde on Thursday defended New York Times (NYT) against Malacañang’s accusation that the publication is doing a “demolition job” on President Rodrigo Duterte.

“We have to keep in mind, itong New York Times, 166 years na ito, mas matanda pa ito sa Republika ng Pilipinas, at hindi ito naging respetado na diyaryo sa buong mundo ng basta-basta, pinaghirapan ito, hindi lang basta-basta magpapagamit ito,” Conde, who is a former correspondent of the publication said in an interview with GMA’s “News To Go.” (The New York Times is older than the Republic of the Philippines, and this didn’t become a respectable newspaper just like that; they worked hard for it, they’re not just gonna let it be used by anyone.)

“Hindi kapani-paniwala, taliwas iyang sinasabi nila na bayaran ang NYT pagdating sa mga nilalathala na reports nito,” he added.

(It’s not believable, what they’re saying about NYT that it’s being paid to write their reports is contradictory.)

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella earlier said that in just one week, the New York

Carlos Conde Photo from Carlos Conde’s Twitter account

Times published a psychological profile of Duterte tracing his rise to power through violence, an editorial demanding accountability for the thousands of extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s war on drugs, and released a video documentary showing the bodies of the victims of the antinarcotics crackdown and their grief-stricken families.

Abella was referring to the article “Becoming Duterte: The Making of a Philippine Strongman,” published on Thursday; the editorial “Accountability for Duterte,” published on Saturday, and the video documentary “When a President Says, ‘I’ll Kill You,’” released Monday.

He also found it “curious” that suddenly there is a rush of attention on the Philippine’s war on drugs.

Conde maintained that the killings are real, the incidents are not invented by the publication, and there is nothing suspicious in reporting the killings.

“Hindi kahina-hinala (na magreport ang NYT) kasi may patayang nangyayari, tayo lang ang bansa sa buong mundo ngayon na libo-libo ang namamatay bawat buwan. Wala naman tayo sa estado ng giyera, ‘di tayo katulad ng Syria o Yemen, o nasa giyera na bansa para magkaroon ng patayan na ganyan karami,” Conde said.

(It’s not suspicious for the NYT to report on this because there are killings happening, we are the only country in the world now where thousands are killed each month. We aren’t even in a state of war like Syria or Yemen, and the country isn’t at war to have that many killings.)

“Mas kahina-hinala kung titigil ang diyaryo, ang NYT, Washington Post, at ang mga diyaryo sa Pilipinas,” he added.

(What’s more suspicious is if the NYT, Washington Post, and the newspapers in the Philippines stop reporting.)

Abella linked the New York Times to alleged ouster plots against Duterte, saying that certain personalities and politicians have mounted a well-funded campaign utilizing hack writers and their ilk in their bid to oust the President. n

Duterte: Occupy PH islands in South China…

PAGE A3 t

are also claimed by China and Vietnam.

China has transformed Kagitingan, Calderon, Burgos, Mabini, Panganiban, Zamora and McKennan into artificial islands, and built facilities on some that could be used for military purposes, including runways, aircraft hangars and radar shelters.

Last month, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the military would strengthen its facilities in the Spratlys, building

a new port, paving the airstrip on Pagasa and repairing other structures.

Mr. Duterte spoke about building fortifications on Ayungin Shoal, where the government grounded an old naval hospital ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, in 1999 to mark Philippine territory in the Spratlys.

A garrison of Marines holds the rusting ship, which Mr. Duterte indicated he wanted to transform into a battle-capable outpost.

“That’s ours. I must build bun-

kers there,” he said.

Philippine Ridge Mr. Duterte said the development plan for the West Philippine Sea would include funding for securing the Philippines’ ownership of Benham Rise, a resourcerich undersea landmass off the eastern coast of Luzon.

“I will spend for the fortification, including Benham Rise, which I will rename Philippine Ridge, because it is part of our continental shelf,” he said. (With reports from the wires)

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Immigration groups, advocates hold…

PAGE A3 t

with dementia. The patient lived on a large estate by herself and was being cared for by undocumented caregivers because of her mental condition.

One night, the patient claimed Rose stole her money and was sent by her daughters to kill her. The elderly woman chased Rose around the property with a knife.

“The knife was near my right

shoulder so I called 911. A lot of tears falling down,” she recounted. “I screamed and yelled outside hoping someone would hear me. The neighbors just opened the lights, but no help.”

Eventually, the police came to take the patient to a mental institution and Rose stayed with a friend that night. When asked if she plans to stay here, she said, “If God allows me, I will have a U Visa.”

US to continue giving PH aid…

PAGE A4 t

National High School (ANHS) and three classrooms for Anahaway Elementary School (AES), both in Barangay Anahaway, Palo town, benefitting 860 students in all.

“I am happy that his government helped us during our time of difficulties. And I am also happy

that for the first time, our school was visited by a high American official,” said Joan Andriano, 16, and a Grade 10 student of the ANHS. The US ambassador also turned over the two-story training center worth P10 million inside the Tacloban City Hall compound, which could also be used as an evacuation center. n

A U Visa is for individuals who have been victims of certain crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity.

The psychological trauma that Rose endured has made a lasting impact until today.

Even though she would prefer to go back to the Philippines, she said has many family members she still needs to help. Out of 11 children, she is the youngest daughter and is the only one in her family who has a college degree.

To the undocumented workers, Lledo said, “You belong to this country. Who will take care of your kids? We need to support each other especially in this crisis where [people] are singled out by a racist government.” n

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OpiniOn

Features

Airport woes

FOR a country that has been branded with the “worst airport in the world” tag in 2011 and 2013, the last thing it needs is another reason to inconvenience its travelers.

Last year, a survey released by “The Guide to Sleeping in Airports” ranked the Philippines’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in fifth place. Complaints included the prevalence of the tanim bala (bullet planting) scheme that victimized NAIA passengers, frequent power outages, poor air-conditioning, lack of seats and complicated terminal transfers.

NAIA was not included in the world’s list of worst airports in 2014 and 2015 after major renovations were implemented at the country’s main international gateway.

“Some travelers noted improvements in the airport structure and facilities such as cleaner bathrooms, more chairs and some general organization of taxis in front of the terminal,” the travel website noted.

Travelers rate their airport experience on factors such as comfort (rest zones and gate seating), facilities and things to do, food options, immigration or security, customer service and cleanliness.

On Tuesday, April 4, cutout photos of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno were seen in place of immigration officers at the counters of NAIA. Many immigration windows were vacant as a result of the looming crisis as more Bureau of Immigration officers (IOs) assigned at NAIA terminals

have already left their posts—while more are expected to quit—after a recent order was issued to stop the overtime pay of IOs at the airports.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II reported that 32 IOs had left since January.

Fifty more IOs had informed the bureau that they would go on leave for six months in preparation for their resignations and to look for new jobs. At least 17 to 18 IOs are absent almost daily at the four NAIA terminals.

“Many of them have stopped going to work or have gone on leave because their overtime will not be paid anyway,” Aguirre said. “The economy will be affected by this. Hopefully, we could find a temporary remedy to this situation.”

Aguirre is referring for a compromise to President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to bar the bureau from using the funds collected from airport express lanes for overtime pay. Express lane funds are generated charges are additional costs being paid by a foreigner who wants to fast track processing of permits and documents.

Duterte vetoed the use of express lane charges collected by the BI for payment of salaries of casual and contractual personnel, confidential agents and job order employees, augmentation of salaries and the health insurance premium of personnel

Editorial

who render services beyond office hours. Records showed that immigration personnel were paid P784 million in overtime pay last year, which was five times bigger than their basic salaries.

Under R.A. 10924, the said funds collected from use of express lanes will now go to the national treasury and will be allocated to other government agencies.

If this problem continues, expect to see longer lines of domestic and foreign travelers at the country’s international gateways. Until a solution becomes available, this will have significant effects on the economy and security, and will be a great concern for travelers who will now think twice before making the Philippines their next destination.

(AJPress)

Trump smoke and fire: Spies, lies, and the Russian ties “SOME people in the Trump campaign may end up in jail,” revealed Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro in a CNN interview on Tuesday, April 4.

The congressman’s declaration comes after more classified information was presented to the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into the allegations that the Trump campaign and Russia conspired to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

With probes also being performed by the Department of Justice, FBI, the National Security Agency and the Senate Intelligence Committee to get to the bottom of the assault of Russia on U.S. democracy, new deep connections between members of the Trump campaign and transition team and Russian officials have been coming to light.

The Trump camp had initially denied the numerous secret meetings that various members had with Russian officials here in the United States, in Russia and other parts of the world. Some even lied under oath and recently, evidence has revealed that those meetings actually occurred.

These Trump associates included, among others: National Security adviser Michael Flynn who lied about meeting with Russian officials and failed to disclose payments from Russian companies; Attorney General Jeff Sessions who lied under oath that he met with the Russian ambassador to the United States twice; Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort was found to have worked to help Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government push its interests around the world; Former campaign associate Carter Page was targeted for recruitment by Russian spies; Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared

Kushner met with the Russian ambassador during transition and met with a Russian bank The Fil-Am chairman with ties to Putin; Perspective Major campaign donor, Erik Prince — founder of government service and security company Blackwater and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Gel SantoS-ReloS — reportedly had a secret meeting arranged by the United Arab Emirates at the Seychelles islands, just nine days before Trump’s inauguration. U.S., European and Arab officials revealed that the meeting was with a Russian close to Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump.

The questions that need to be answered: Why did the Trump campaign have to make these meetings “secret”? Why did they have to lie about these, with Sessions even being not forthcoming under oath? Was there coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in hacking and leaking damaging information about the Democratic National Committee and nominee Hillary Clinton to help Trump win? Were there talks between the Trump campaign and Russia about easing sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama against Russia for interference in the 2016 election? What did Trump know? When did he know them? What did he do when he knew about any of the talks?

On March 4, as the Russian probe went deeper, Trump shocked the world with his early morning tweets accusing Obama of wiretapping him without offering any evidence to support his allegations. This accusation was debunked by the U.S. intelligence community to be unfounded.

And then Trump dropped another smoke screen: that British spies did it for Obama. This was an allegation that was vehemently denied by America’s closest ally and the U.S. intelligence community.

And then this past week, another smoke screen — allegations that Obama’s former National Security Adviser Susan Rice illegally unmasked names of Trump’s associates in surveillance against him and leaked information for political expediency.

This accusation against Rice was debunked by members of the intelligence community who said that as an adviser, she was just doing her job in requesting to unmask (get to know) the identities of individuals who arose to be in communication with foreign entities believed to be a threat to U.S. national security.

Unmasking was legal and was necessary to know the context of the communications between the U.S. person and the foreign entity. Rice never leaked the information to anybody, disproving accusations she and the Obama administration had used it for political reasons.

The Bloomberg story by Eli Lake that broke the news implicating name of Susan Rice in this development concluded: “Rice’s requests to unmask the names of Trump transition officials do not vindicate Trump’s own tweets from March 4 in which he accused Obama of illegally tapping Trump Tower. There remains no evidence to support that claim.

But Rice’s multiple requests to learn the identities of Trump officials discussed in intelligence reports during the transition period does highlight a

longstanding concern for civil liberties advocates about U.S. surveillance programs. The standard for senior officials to learn the names of U.S. persons incidentally collected is that it must have some foreign intelligence value, a standard that can apply to almost anything. This suggests Rice’s unmasking requests were likely within the law.

The news about Rice also sheds light on the strange behavior of Nunes [Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, also part of Trump’s transition team] in the last two weeks. It emerged last week that he traveled to the White House last month, the night before he made an explosive allegation about Trump transition officials caught up in incidental surveillance. At the time he said he needed to go to the White House because the reports were only on a database for the executive branch. It now appears that he needed to view computer systems within the National Security Council that would include the logs of Rice’s requests to unmask U.S. persons.

The ranking Democrat on the committee Nunes chairs, Representative Adam Schiff, viewed these reports on Friday. In comments to the press over the weekend he declined to discuss the contents of these reports, but also said it was highly unusual for the reports to be shown only to Nunes and not himself and other members of the committee.

Indeed, much about this is highly unusual: if not how the surveillance was collected, then certainly how and why it was disseminated.” *** 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

Leni Robredo’s sins against the overseas Filipinos

Analysis

antonio P. ContReRaS INDAY (not her real name) has been living in Trinidad and Tobago for the past 10 years with her foreigner husband and their four children. There are about 500 Filipinos living in the Caribbean nation in various sectors, in construction, hospitality, healthcare and domestic work. She was living a peaceful and ordinary life, until Leni Robredo delivered that six-minute message painting the Philippines as a dark place where people are mired in helplessness and hopelessness. Radio stations began to speak harshly about the Philippines, even painting our country as if we have become a war zone where just anyone can be killed in the streets. Commentaries in the media and even from her friends were so insulting, and have caused her much stress. Many of her friends have messaged her, concerned about the safety of her family still living here, something that she is not sure if she should appreciate.

And the stories keep coming,

from nurses, domestic helpers, immigrants, engineers, Filipinos all. They have to endure being objects of misplaced concern over how we cope with the horror of being under a tyrannical despot, or of downright condemnation of how we can allow a President who targets the poor and has ordered the execution of more than 7,000 drug users.

Even Filipinos who are supposed to be on vacation have to suffer the effects of the disinformation, like Melanie (not her real name) who was on vacation in Ecuador had to bear. Instead of pleasantly engaging her tour group colleague, she had to spend time debunking accusations that we are some backward country whose President is a crazy, maniacal murderer who loves to kill at will.

And the most painful story is that of Elaine (not her real name), who is married to an Italian but lives in Thailand with their child.

Elaine is dying of cancer, and she wants to come home to spend the rest of her life with her parents and family in her hometown.

After being exposed to the unfavorable images painted by the international media, and further

affirmed by the speech of Mrs. Robredo, her husband refuses to come with her. He believes that the Philippines is not a safe place under President Duterte.

Elaine begged him to allow even just their child to come with her, but her husband refused to grant her request. He told her that she can go home by herself, or just remain in Thailand to die there, and he will just send her ashes or remains to her parents here.

There are millions of overseas Filipinos in the global diaspora.

We may not be the only nationality that is scattered all over the world, but we are surely the most diasporic, in the sense that regardless of our circumstances, whether we are just temporary migrant workers, or permanent residents or even citizens of our adoptive countries, we remain attached to the Filipino homeland.

The circumstances that drive us to leave can be to seek greener pastures abroad, or simply to earn more by sacrificing so much.

There are Filipinos who have to leave their children, barely old enough to take care of themselves, to take care of other countries’ children. We leave our parents and elderly, in order to serve the needs

of the aged and the infirm in other countries. We leave jobs here that pay less to go to jobs abroad that pay more even if it means selling everything that we have earned.

There are also many of us who migrate and take up citizenship abroad, but the taking of an oath of loyalty to other countries, and marrying their citizens and starting families there, can never extinguish our bond with the Philippines.

And these are the millions of Filipinos in the diaspora that have now been offended by Robredo’s six-minute speech that slandered the President, but in the end also slandered our country and people.

As one overseas Filipino lamented, embodying a widely held sentiment, Leni Robredo spoke with the Philippine flag behind her, and the seal of her office prominently displayed. She inflicted the authority of her office to become a burden for the overseas Filipinos to bear. Her unverified accusations took the mantle of an official declaration, and acquired the character of authoritative truth, for it came from the second highest official of the land.

It is, however, heartwarming to see overseas Filipino workers as-

Vice Pres. Leni Robredo

sertively standing up to dispel the lies and the half-truths. It is simply amazing how ordinary people in the Filipino diaspora rose to defend not only the President but their homeland.

We owe it to every mother who left her children, every husband who left his wife and family, and every Filipino who left us but remains with us, to rise up too in

solidarity and defend if not the President, then our country.

We who are left behind have to be at the forefront in unmasking the lies of Leni Robredo and her allies.

Leni apologists will dismiss this as obsession, or misplaced loyalty.

We have to tell them this is our duty. (ManilaTimes.net)

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Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Pulse Asia: President Duterte’s performance, trust scores drop Palace downplays ratings decline

by aJPress WHILE nearly eight out of 10 Filipinos remain appreciative of his achievements and express trust in him, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s performance and trust ratings both experienced a decline in the first quarter of 2017, according to a recent survey by Pulse Asia.

Figures from the poll showed that Duterte’s performance and trust ratings dropped by five percentage points and seven percentage points, respectively.

From 83 percent in December last year, Duterte’s performance rating decreased to 78 percent in March. His trust rating, meanwhile, slid from 83 percent to 78 percent in the same period.

On the other hand, 15 percent and 18 percent of respondents expressed indecision towards his performance and trustworthiness respectively.

“There are hardly any changes in the performance and trust rat-

ings of President Duterte during the period December 2016 to March 2017,” Pulse Asia said in its news release. “The only significant movement occurring at this time is the drop of the president’s national trust rating (-7 percentage points).”

Figures revealed that Duterte scored the highest ratings — in the case of both his performance and trustworthiness — in Mindanao, earning 88 percent performance and 90 percent trust rates, followed by Visayas (86 percent and 84 percent respectively), and Metro Manila (73 percent and 74 percent respectively).

In collective Luzon, meanwhile, he had an approval rating of 71 percent and trust rating of 67 percent.

The poll, which was conducted from March 15 to 20 using faceto-face interviews among 1,200 adult respondents, has a marginal error of ± 3 percent and confidence level of 95 percent.

Despite the drop in ratings, Malacañang said the majority of

the Filipinos “continue to embrace” Duterte’s “vision of a nation that works for the prosperity of all.”

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Duterte’s continued high approval shows that “the majority appreciate [his] decisiveness” despite criticisms against his administration’s policies.

“The people continue to embrace the president’s vision of a nation that works for the prosperity of all; a trustworthy government; and lasting peace, considering that the survey coincided with vicious noise from the president’s fiercest critics; the filing of an impeachment complaint last March 16; the Senate appearance of a self-confessed but perjured assassin; human rights reports highly critical of the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drug traffickers and violators; the internationally aired video message of Vice President Robredo,” Abella said. n

Solon warns Alvarez disbarment may lead to House, Supreme Court clash

MOVES to disbar Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez over his extramarital affair may lead to a confrontation between the Philippine House of Representatives and the Supreme Court (SC), a lawmaker warned.

According to House Deputy Minority Leader and Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque, while the SC has disbarred lawyers in the past due to immoral conduct, disbarring Alvarez may result in a conflict between the two branches of the government.

“It is my opinion that Speaker Alvarez should not be disbarred as this may lead the SC to a confrontation with a co-equal branch of government, which in turn may result in the possible impeachment of some of the justices,” Roque said in a statement on Sunday, April 2.

Roque argued that “immoral or not,” the Office of the Speaker “still commands numbers for impeachment.”

The possible disbarment case against Alvarez surfaces following his admission last week that he has a girlfriend despite being a married man.

Alvarez admitted during a phone interview on Thursday, March 30 that he is in a relationship with Jennifer Maliwanag Vicencio, amid reports that the graft case he filed against Davao del Norte 2nd District Representative Antonio Floirendo Jr. stemmed from an altercation between their respective lovers.

Alvarez also confirmed that he is no longer talking to his second wife, Emelita Alvarez.

In a statement, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) that “in the event that someone should file a complaint against Congressman Alvarez, he will, of course, be granted the full measure of his right to due process but these shall be the same standards against which his actions shall be measured.”

IBP reminded Alvarez to em-

body the “highest standards of morality, behavior and professionalism” as expected of lawyers.

Alvarez also drew flak for supposedly criticizing Senator Leila De Lima for having an affair with her driver, Ronnie Dayan.

In defense, Roque said “everyone knew in Congress” about Alvarez’s affair.

“I think that the difference is there is no concealment (of his relationship with Vicencio). Everyone knew in Congress. I knew from Day 1 that they (Alvarez and wife, Emelina) were estranged. I knew at some point that he had an affair with this woman. I’ve seen her in functions so there was no attempt to conceal,” Roque explained.

Alvarez earlier clarified that it was De Lima’s involvement in illegal drugs that he criticized, not her relationship.

Shrugging off threats of possible disbarment case against him, Alvarez told his critics: “Go ahead, no problem with me.” (AJPress)

‘PALIT-BISE.’ Thousands of supporters of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte demanded the resignation or impeachment of Vice President Maria Leonor ‘Leni’ Robredo during a rally at Rizal Park on Sunday, April 2, for supposedly besmirching the country’s reputation before the international community.

Photo by Russell Palma / ManilaTimes

Duterte supporters call for Robredo’s removal during ‘Palit Bise’ rally

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

THOUSANDS of supporters of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gathered on Sunday, April 2 at Manila’s Rizal Park calling for Vice President Leni Robredo to step down from office.

The rally, dubbed as “Palit Bise” (change the vice president), was reportedly led the president’s vocal supporters, including Mocha Uson, singer Jimmy Bondoc, and lawyer Bruce Rivera.

The rallyists, mostly clad in red shirts, slammed Robredo for her remarks against some of Duterte’s policies, particularly her video message sent to the United Nations last month in which she criticized the administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign. They also called on the president’s critics to stop shaming him.

“To us, palit bise can mean three things. Some are saying palit bise means to impeach, some people say to resign. Some people say to change VP, meaning magbago kayo VP something like that. Whatever they choose among the options, we’re all united by one fact that the Vice President has not done [her] job in strengthening the administration,” Bondoc, an official for the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Duterte, meanwhile, was tight-

lipped when asked about the rally against the vice president.

“Ayaw ko mag-comment diyan, mahirap ‘yan (I do not want to comment, that is difficult),” he told reporters during a press briefing in Cagayan de Oro City.

The president previously expressed his opposition to any impeachment attempt against Robredo and told her critics to “lay off.”

Robredo’s camp, on the other hand, downplayed the rally.

In a statement, the vice president’s legal counsel lawyer Barry Gutierrez noted that Duterte showed respect for Robredo’s mandate to serve in the country’s second-highest post.

“Malinaw na batay sa huli nilang pagkikita, nakatutok ang Pangulo at Pangalawang Pangulo sa kani-kanilang trabaho. May kapwa paggalang sa mandato ng bawat isa (It was clear that based on their latest meeting, both the president and vice president are focused on their own jobs. They both respect each other’s mandate),” Gutierrez said.

The country’s two top officials last met during the graduating ceremony of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) on March 12 in Baguio City.

“Kung sa kabila nito may iilang supporter ng Pangulo na nagpupumilit pa ring lumihis sa pasya niyang ito, siguro sa kanya sila dapat magpaliwanag (If, despite this, some of the President’s sup-

porters still insist in contradicting his stance, then maybe they should explain it to him),” Gutierrez added.

Despite the criticism, Robredo said she did not regret decrying the alleged human rights abuses in Duterte’s drug war before the UN. In an earlier interview with radio DZMM on Tuesday, March 28, Robredo also said she was planning to meet with Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno after Holy Week to provide him details about “palit-ulo” or “exchange of head” scheme. Sueno, however, was removed from from his post as the DILG chief on Monday, April 3.

In her video message, Robredo defined the alleged “exchange of head” as a police scheme in which “the wife, husband or relative in a so-called drug list will be taken if the person himself could not be found.”

While the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed the existence of the so-called “palit-ulo” (exchange of head) scheme in the government’s war against illegal drugs, insisted that it was far different from Vice Robredo’s definition.

Police Chief General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa clarified that “exchange of head” refers to a practice wherein arrested drug pushers can reveal their supplier or higher drug lords in exchange of being charged with a lighter offense. n

A APRIL 7-13, 2017 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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Filipino traditions and practices during Holy week

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The meaning of Holy Week

FoR Christians, Holy Week is definitely a very sacred time of the year. Starting on Palm Sunday onto Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday; it is a time to reflect on Jesus Christ’s journey to the Cross — beginning with his entry into Jerusalem, his lonely trek from the Upper Room through Gethsamane, and ultimately to Calvary and the empty tomb.

So what makes each day holy, you may ask. Let’s explore the meaning of each of the solemn days of Holy Week.

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday celebrates the glorious and brilliant feast of the Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (John 12:1-18).

Zechariah had prophesied the entrance of the Messiah into Jerusalem, saying: “Rejoice greatly … o daughter of Jerusalem; behold, the King comes unto Thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass”, Zech. 9:9. The contemporary Jews associated this prophecy with the expected Messiah. This action of Christ testifies to His nature as Messiah, but with the definite declaration that His Kingdom was not of this world. The main road leading to Jerusalem was covered with palm trees. The multitudes, with palm branches in their hands, spread their cloaks on the road as a show of respect, crying out, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Holy Monday on Holy Monday we commemorate Jesus’ return to Jerusalem with his disciples.

Along the way, Jesus cursed a fig tree because it had failed to bear fruit. Some scholars believe this cursing of the fig tree represented God’s judgment on the spiritually dead religious leaders of Israel. others believe the symbolism extended to all believers, demonstrating that genuine, living faith is more than just outward religiosity. True faith must bear spiritual fruit in a person’s life.

When Jesus arrived at the Temple he found the courts full of corrupt money changers. He began overturning their tables and clearing the Temple, saying, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den

of thieves.” (Luke 19:46) on Monday evening Jesus stayed in Bethany again, probably in the home of his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Holy Tuesday on Tuesday morning, Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. They passed the withered fig tree on their way, and Jesus taught them about faith.

At the Temple, the religious leaders aggressively challenged Jesus’ authority, attempting to ambush him and create an opportunity for his arrest. But Jesus evaded their traps and pronounced harsh judgment on them.

Holy Wednesday The Bible doesn’t say what the Lord did on Holy Wednesday.

Scholars speculate that after two exhausting days in Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples spent this day resting in Bethany in anticipation of the Passover.

Bethany was about two miles east of Jerusalem. Here Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha lived. They were close friends of Jesus, and probably hosted him and the disciples during these final days in Jerusalem.

Just a short time previously, Jesus had revealed to the disciples, and the world, that he had power over death by raising Lazarus from the grave. After seeing this incredible miracle, many people in Bethany believed that Jesus was the Son of God and put their faith in him. Also in Bethany just a few nights earlier, Lazarus’ sister Mary had lovingly anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume.

Maundy Thursday From Bethany Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to the Upper Room in Jerusalem to make the preparations for the Passover Feast. That evening after sunset, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as they prepared to share in the Passover. By performing this humble act of service, Jesus demonstrated by example how they were to love one another.

Today, many churches practice foot-washing ceremonies as a part of their Maundy Thursday services.

Then Jesus shared the feast of Passover with his disciples.

As the Lamb of God, Jesus was about to fulfill the meaning of the Passover by giving his body to be broken and his blood to be shed in sacrifice, freeing us from

sin and death. During this Last Supper, Jesus established the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, instructing his followers to continually remember his sacrifice by sharing in the elements of bread and wine.

Later Jesus and the disciples left the Upper Room and went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony to God the Father. He was later betrayed with a kiss by Judas Iscariot and arrested by the Sanhedrin. He was taken to the home of Caiaphas, the High Priest, where the whole council had gathered to begin making their case against Jesus.

Good Friday Christ’s journey turned treacherous and acutely painful in these final hours leading to his death on Good Friday.

According to Scripture, Judas Iscariot, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus, was overcome with remorse and hanged himself.

Meanwhile, before the third hour (9 a.m.), Jesus endured the shame of false accusations, condemnation, mockery, beatings, and abandonment.

After multiple unlawful trials, he was sentenced to death by crucifixion, one of the most horrible and disgraceful methods of capital punishment.

Before Christ was led away, soldiers spit on him, tormented and mocked him, and pierced him with a crown of thorns.

Then Jesus carried his own cross to Calvary where, again, he was mocked and insulted as Roman soldiers nailed him to the wooden cross.

Jesus spoke seven final statements from the cross. His first words were, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34, NIV).

His last were, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46, NIV) Then, about the ninth hour (3 p.m.), Jesus breathed his last and died.

By 6 p.m. Friday evening, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, took Jesus’ body down from the cross and lay it in a tomb.

Black Saturday Jesus’ body lay in the tomb Continued on Page 3

IN a country where Roman Catholics make up 81 percent of the population, it is no surprise that Filipinos have numerous traditional events during Holy Week. In the early days, these traditions and practices religiously for people to reflect on their sins and the sacrifice Jesus Christ has made.

However, the onset of modern technology has introduced these traditions to other countries that they become more of a spectacle, with less emphasis on its significance. At present, these traditions are very much alive and practiced by Filipinos: Palaspas Palm Sunday is observed by Catholics in the Philippines every year. It is a festive event wherein churchgoers raise their “palaspas” or palm leaves into the air, waiting to be blessed by the presiding priest. When mass is finished, people take their newly blessed palm leaves home. Many attach them onto their windowsills and roofs. This is a Filipino belief that blessed palm can bring good fortune, as well as remove any negativity, in the household.

Filipinos often keep the palm leaves till the next year.

“Pabasa” one of the traditions during is the reading of religious texts or “palaspas.” The “palaspas” usually starts after the mass on Palm Sunday. But it is also organized on other days of the Holy Week.

The book of the passion of Christ is chanted in many different ways. The organizer of the “palaspas” prepares two books for the readers. one group of readers reads or chants one verse and the other group of readers reads or chants the next verse.

The “palaspas” can last all day and all night and are usually done next to a chapel, in a tent or “kubol.” In some places the best reader at a “pabasa” gets a small prize.

Most “palaspas” are public, organized for the whole community, but there are also private ones organized by families in their homes. They invite relatives or friends to join them.

A “palaspas” usually ends on or before Good Friday. What follows is the reading of “Siete Palabras” or the Seven Last Words of Jesus before he died on the cross.

Everything is broadcasted on national television.

Moriones Festival Provinces like Marinduque celebrate the Moriones Festival.

The festival is a weeklong event that commemorates the miracle of Longinus, the Roman soldier who

Palm Sunday is observed by Catholics in the Philippines every year.

pierced the side of the crucified Jesus. Longinus was blind in one eye, and as blood gushed from Jesus’ body, a drop fell into his eye and restored his vision eventually making him a believer of Christ and an enemy of Rome.

‘Morion’ means mask, and was once a standard part of a Roman soldier’s helmet. Thus, colorful Roman costumes, painted masks and helmets characterize this uniquely Filipino festival. Apart from several parades, mask paintings, and processions, one of the most entertaining activities in the festival is a reenactment of Longinus’ story. Longinus runs around town, hiding inside houses and markets, climbing trees and lampposts, losing himself in the crowds of tourists just to escape the morions pursuing him. This festival culminates on Easter Sunday.

“Sinakulo” “Sinakulo” are Lenten plays narrating the life, suffering and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To present the entire story, plays are held each night beginning from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

“Visita Iglesia” In the evening of Maundy Thursday, the Mass of the Last Supper is celebrated in churches all across the Philippines. After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is put in an Altar of Repose or “monumento.” After that churches remain open for visitors or as Filipinos would call it, the “Visita Iglesia.”

“Siete Palabras” or Seven Last Words The main activity on Good Friday is the “Siete Palabras” or Seven Last Words, starting in churches from 12 noon and ending at 3 p.m. when Jesus died.

Then there would be a threeact liturgy, and a procession of religious images at the end. The religious images are often veiled in black and carried through

towns in carrozas (carriages). Its highlight would be the image of the dead Jesus.

In the evening, the Soledad Procession commences. The highlight of this procession would be the search of Jesus by the tres marias (Three Marias, referring to Maria Magdalena, the sinner turned saint; Maria Cleofe, mother of the apostle James the Younger; and Maria Jacobe, mother of the apostles James the Greater and John).

“Penitensya” Many Filipinos also participate in taboo practices, which the Catholic Church prohibits and does not endorse. These include “penitensya” or self-flagellations and crucifixions. Especially in the province of Pampanga, devotees re-enact Jesus’ suffering by having themselves nailed to crosses.

This Kapampangan tradition began in 1955 after writer Ricardo Navarro came up with the play narrating Jesus’ story, and the actual crucifixions followed in 1962. Many also dress up as Jesus Christ, walking barefoot, and carrying life-size crosses around town for the entire day. In “penitensya,” hooded men whip their backs as a form of repentance for their sins.

Thousands of locals and foreign tourists flock to see this extreme Filipino tradition every year.

“Salubong” on Easter Sunday, Filipinos celebrate the “Salubong,” a 4 a.m. vigil commemorating the meeting of the Mary and the Risen Jesus. It is also a welcoming rite for the Son of God. The image of Mary will be brought to the image of Christ at a local church, where people throw flower petals and sing songs of glory. Everyone is happy that Jesus is alive again, and families celebrate by preparing feasts. (AJPress)

“Sinakulo” are Lenten plays narrating the life, suffering and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To present the entire story, plays are held each night beginning from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

Interesting facts about Easter Sunday EASTER is the Sunday that marks the end of the Holy Week and is greatly influenced by the Christian faith as it reminds believers to remember the sacrifice of the Son of God. others think of it as a time of celebration with Easter eggs, bunnies and peeps. So to celebrate, here are a

few interesting facts about Easter: • The name “Easter” originated from “Eastre,” the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes the hare and egg. From the very early times, the egg has been considered as the most important symbol of rebirth.

• The traditional act of

Others mark Easter Sunday as a time of celebration with Easter eggs, bunnies and peeps.

painting eggs is called Pysanka.

• The white lily, the symbol of the resurrection, is the special Easter flower.

• The initial baskets of Easter were given the appearance of bird’s nests. The maiden chocolate eggs recipes were made in Europe in the 19th century.

• Next to Halloween, Easter holidays paves way for confectionary business to boom.

Each year, about nearly 90 million chocolate bunnies are made for Easter. Seventy-six percent of people prefer eating the ears of this yummy treat first.

• The most popular treat for the holiday though are jellybeans. Jellybeans were first made in the U.S. by Boston candy maker William Schrafft, who ran advertisements urging people to send jellybeans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War. Americans consume over 16 million jellybeans on Easter, enough to circle the globe three times over.

• The Easter Bunny tradition made its way to the United States in the 18th century. It is believed to have originated in Europe where it was actually the Easter Hare. other Easter traditions

include wearing Easter bonnets, making Easter baskets and having Easter egg hunts.

• The White House hosts an

Easter Egg Roll on the front lawn each year. This tradition was started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878.

Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo take their relationship to the next level

by Maridol ranoa-BisMark Philstar.com

Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla star in their latest movie, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”

DANIEL Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, fondly called “KathNiel,” have been a love team for six years.

Now, all signs show that they have taken that romance to the next level: real life.

Their statements say it all.

“At first, I thought it was because we’re a love team,” explained Kathryn. “Then I saw how serious he is with his intentions. That’s when I said, ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love’.”

Daniel added, “We see each other every day for the past six years. But I’m still excited when I see her.”

He lovingly put a hand on Kathryn’s knee and patted it lightly.

She held Daniel’s arm as they sit beside each other. Their body language was a giveaway to their real feelings for each other.

After conquering 40-feet high cliffs in their latest movie, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” KathNiel is excited to have more

adventures together. Kathryn’s dream destinations are Palawan, Amanpulo, Maldives, Bali and Phuket.

Skydiving, her next mission for Daniel, will challenge his fear of heights even more (he first conquered it when he jumped from the cliff in a scene from the movie).

In “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” Kathryn plays Gab, a financial advisor who helps clients invest their money. She plans her life to secure her future.

Daniel’s character Dos, on the other hand, is Gab’s exact opposite.

He lives for the moment and does not take problems to heart.

In return, Daniel has Kathryn’s total love and devotion.

“It’s important that I give my all. I don’t want to regret anything someday, because I had shortcomings,” she said.

Yes, they have disagreements.

What relationship doesn’t? And Daniel says sorry “even if the fault is hers.”

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: I overstayed my visa, and am now out of status (TNT). I’m living in California, and want to visit my relatives on the East Coast. I’m afraid of flying, because they have immigration officers at the airport, and I’m concerned they will just pick me up at the airport and deport me home. So, I’m considering taking a bus, to avoid the immigration officers at the airport.

Do you think it is better or safer to take a bus than to fly?

Very truly yours, NR Dear NR: There is no right or wrong answer, but I will give you some observations: When you’re flying domestically (within the United States), ordinarily you do not encounter Customs and Border Protection (CBP). You don’t need a passport and visa to fly within Mainland US and Hawaii. Many people, including myself, travel by showing my driver’s license.

If a person cannot obtain a driver’s license (because of their immigration status) they can present the picture page of their unexpired passport, which is considered a government-issued form of identification in order to

Is it safer to travel by bus or plane? prove identity to TSA. As for TSA, their role is to examine luggage and carry-ons in connection with safety and security, not for immigration inspection. That is the role of CBP. Even US citizens have to go through TSA, and TSA should typically be checking only the picture page of your current passport, and should not be asking for visas or other immigration status when you’re flying domestically.

The problem or concern in taking a bus is that you don’t know where the immigration checkpoints are located. I’ve had several consultations where a person decided to take a bus instead of a plane, out of fear of being confronted by CBP at the airport. Unfortunately, even when the bus was hundreds of miles from the Mexican border, there was still a border checkpoint. The bus was stopped, immigration officers got on board and asked for everyone’s proof of legal status. Those without proper documentation were removed from the bus, and placed in removal proceedings. Had they taken a plane instead, it is most likely they would have reached their destination without ever having encountered border patrol.

I also know that there are hundreds of millions of people flying domestically each year, and

where it was guarded by Roman soldiers throughout the day on Saturday, which was the Sabbath.

When the Sabbath ended, Christ’s body was ceremonially treated for burial with spices purchased by Nicodemus.

Nicodemus, like Joseph of Arimathea, was a member of the Sanhedrin, the court which had condemned Jesus Christ to death.

For a time, both men had lived as secret followers of Jesus, afraid to make a public profession of faith because of their prominent positions in the Jewish community.

Similarly, both were deeply affected by Christ’s death. They boldly came out of hiding, risking their reputations and their lives

because they now realized Jesus was, indeed, the long-awaited Messiah. Together they cared for Jesus’ body and prepared it for burial.

Easter Sunday On Easter Sunday we reach the culmination of the Holy Week.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event of the Christian faith. The very foundation of all Christian doctrine hinges on the truth of this account.

Early Sunday morning several women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, and Salome are all mentioned in the Gospel accounts) went to the tomb and discovered that the large stone covering the tomb’s entrance had been rolled away.

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there are certainly a large number who are out of status. But I have not heard in any news reports about CBP enforcement activities on domestic flights. While that’s not a guarantee, the risk is bigger in taking a bus for long distances trips.

But the bottom line is if you are out of status, you may want to consult with an immigration attorney, who can evaluate your situation and perhaps advise you on possible ways to legalize your status. This way, you would not have any of these concerns whenever you travel within the US. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

The meaning of Holy Week From Page 2

An Asian Journal

On the day of his resurrection, Jesus Christ made at least five appearances. Mark’s Gospel says the first person to see him was Mary Magdalene. Jesus also appeared to Peter, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later that day to all of the disciples except Thomas, while they were gathered in a house for prayer.

The eyewitness accounts in the Gospels provide undeniable evidence that the resurrection of Jesus Christ happened. 2,000 years after his death, followers of Christ still flock to see the empty tomb, one of the strongest proofs that Jesus Christ actually did rise from the dead. (Source: Faith Church Online)

A MOTHER’S AND HER ATTORNEY’S PERSISTENCE RESULT IN HER DAUGHTERS FINALLY BEING ISSUED CSPA VISAS BASED ON “EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES”-- ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF CITIZEN PINOY! Lolita left her two daughters in the Philippines to seek a better life in the US, with the dream that she would eventually have them join her. However, her previous attorney missed the one year “sought to acquire” filing deadline for CSPA eligibility, resulting in the Embassy refusing to issue their immigrant visas.

Leading US immigration attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL was her beacon of hope, as he did not give up in trying to convince the Embassy that the daughters should be entitled to visas, despite missing the one-year deadline. Find out how Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel was able to prove extraordinary circumstances, have the two “aged-out” daughters be issued visas, and reunite this family on an encore episode of CITIZEN PINOY – on Sunday, April 9 at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAGlAyA THIS Lenten season, it is a good idea to ponder the life of Saint Paul.

Paul, aka Saul of Tarsus, lived more than two thousand years ago. He had something to say about what does matter in life. He spoke about a special kind of love that in Greek is called Agape (ahgah-pay).

Agape is unconditional love, a kind of love that has no agenda or motivations, a kind of love that is exemplified in God sending His only Son, a kind of love that if emulated by humans, sets us apart from all of God’s creatures, makes us a little closer to the angels and truly created in God’s own image and likeness.

But Paul didn’t start out as a

Love as the center of gravity “All you need is love.”

— Lennon-McCartney

defender of the Christian faith. He was, in fact, an avid persecutor feared by early Christians. As a Jew and a Pharisee who was also an educated man and a class above because he was a Roman citizen, he used everything in his power and position to quash the growth of the church persecuting the members of the then budding Christian church.

Saul was his Jewish name.

Paul was his Roman name. Paul stood by watching the cloaks of the stone throwers, tacitly approving the stoning of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

Paul was a young, rising brilliant star of his time eager to make his mark in the Judaic tradition. At first, Paul was hot and bothered by the intensity of the

love and fervency of the Apostles and early believers.

This start-up movement was a threat to his career track and his Judaic core belief system. Paul thought he was going to make it his life’s work to eliminate Christ’s early followers and eradicate what Christ himself has started.

If murder and mayhem were the tools to get it done, he was going to use them.

But God had other plans for Paul. On his way to Damascus on a mission to arrest and persecute Christians, a blinding light shone on him. He fell off his horse while Jesus’ voice is heard asking him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” This dramatic, miraculous conversion when he temporarily Continued on Page 5

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On the PEP Front

People, Events, Places

Angelo Antonio Maristela, Renaissance-bred artist

BoBBy T. yalong In the realm of the art world, realism has been accurately considered the highest form of painting creativity due to the proximity of the art work to the original appearance of its subject. The Renaissance period, understandably, gave birth to such painting style and Hellenistic Greek sculptures.

A multi-faceted Filipino artist, Angelo Antonio Maristela, has successfully soared high in the competitive world of Fine Arts with his unremitting enthusiasm, ambitious goals, diverse and distinct painting techniques, and paramount

Artist Angelo Antonio Maristela thanks his guests

Actor Robert Downey Jr. was also part of Maristela’s Bread Series

Angelo’s Bread Series had young daughter Ressu Gaella as model.

achievements.

The Renaissance-inspired

artwork of Maristela are meticulously executed with tremendous degree of persistence and fortitude while simultaneously devoting greater concentration on his faultless synthesis of hues and tints in his conscientious endeavor to generate an uncharacteristic blend and texture.

Angelo’s imaginative method of painting is resolute with seemingly confident strokes giving the fullest attention to fine details. His brushes appear to sustain vitality and dynamism each time they hit the canvas…and leave a divergent composite of essential genuineness immortalizing every essence of reality.

There is indubitably an escalating forthrightness in the way he scrupulously treated

Angelo’s children on canvas... Racco Angelo and Ressu Gaella posed for dad.

Photographic painting by Maristela

The unrelenting waves...oil on canvas

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

The artist and his family

Hon. Con. Gen. Tess Dizon De Vega led the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Maristela’s Abstract Expressionism series

his human subjects with such unfussy pragmatism resulting to almost realistic images. Angelo’s predominant technique in breathing life and providing soul to his art, particularly to human structures,

irrefutably reflects his highly influential style and strappingly ingenious visualization. Easily, his human images are unmistakably photographic and lens-crafted. no wonder, this Master-ofRealism was already artistically inclined even at the tender age of three. Unlike kids of his age, young Angelo despised games and toys in lieu of drawing tools and papers… and his aesthetic genes gradually built up a soaring obsession to create fine artworks from unelaborated but amazing paintings to award-winning masterpieces.

Angelo must have been really born with brush and easel and destined for greatness in the field of Fine Arts. He was already doing professionally commissioned

SERVICES

Hon. Con.Gen. De Vega delivers a heartwarming speech

artworks even before he formally enrolled at the Far Eastern University for his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree major in Advertising.

Born on October 4, 1971 in Paco, Manila to a Filipino mother and half-American father, this Libran is innately introspective with artistic creativity.

They say that there are only a handful of artists who could juggle between realism and abstract styles although majority Continued on Page 7

Pearls of motherly wisdom from ‘Mama Lina’ Navarro San FranciSco

By Monet

Lu

IF I had a penny for every time I would tell myself and others that ‘mothers know best,’ I’d probably be very rich now. Truth of the matter is: we have so much to learn and emulate from mothers in general. Whether from your biological mother or a woman playing a motherly role in your life, they have so much wisdom to impart on us.

I have had the privilege of diving into the deep mind of one tough-spirited woman— a mother and a grandmother—by the name of Lina Navarro. Today, I share with my readers some of the most precious pieces of advice they’ll ever hear in their lifetimes.

I asked Mama Lina is, “What, for her, is a Beautiful Life?” She answered with several meanings, but I also wanted to share parts of her story that best exemplify her definitions.

“A ‘BEAUTIFUL LIFE’ belongs to a person whose senses and intellect are keen and aware not only of the beauty and goodness in the world, but also of its inexhaustible store of knowledge waiting to be explored.”

As a teacher for over 4 decades, I tried to inspire, motivate, and guide my students.

By precept and example, I tried to steer them towards their educational goals and to encourage them to contribute positively to society. I also do this with my fifteen grandchildren and other young people I meet.

I keep abreast of current events, and devote time to reading history and literature to be able to actively participate in discussion of social issues. I try to keep physically fit, and mentally alert. I even endeavor to memorize one poem a month.

Starting at a very early age, I have always loved studying and learning. I believe deeply that it is a person’s duty to discover and actualize one’s potential, along with a set of core values.

I often engage my grandchildren, and other young people in informal discussions along these thoughts. I try to communicate with them without sounding pompous and moralistic so that they will feel free to discourse with me and exchange

Health@Heart

Lina Navarro

ideas. If in the process, I touch a life, and make a positive difference, then the effort is all worth it. I find that I also learn a lot from the young and my education continues as well.

“A ‘BEAUTIFUL LIFE’ does not happen to a person; a person makes life beautiful depending on how she uses her inborn and acquired abilities in response to life. She is the Artist who designs her life, as on a blank palette.”

An early and unplanned marriage at 17 years old and the birth of my seven children, deflected my original goal of making it big in academia. I dreamed of becoming a lawyer and diplomat on the international stage!

I decided to become a teacher instead, because it was the easier and shortest way to start earning a living for my growing brood of children. Surprisingly, I found that I loved the job. And if I may say so, I am effective in teaching and motivating young minds! I taught my children to develop good study and educational habits. I taught in my hometown of Tarlac, Philippines for over 13 years. I was an instructor of literature in a local college, and a high school teacher, before I transferred to the Development Bank of the Philippines, Tarlac Branch, as Administrative Assistant. This was before I migrated to the U.S.A. I did not plan to get married at 17. And I certainly did not plan to have seven children nor to adopt my two orphan nieces. I never had training for the most important job in the world of becoming a parent. But, I felt that it was the most natural thing to do—to be a mother. And I did my best under the circumstances of economic challenges which we faced in the Philippines.

“A ‘BEAUTIFUL LIFE’ is a fearless, courageous life, unafraid and undaunted by uncertainties and

*** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration. To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

Is patient death rate in USA lower among non-US-schooled MDs?

stakeholders, including patients, that the care provided by IMGs is inferior to that of physicians trained in their country of practice. However, little data are ABOUT 25 percent of available to validate this belief. physicians practicing in the In fact, some research has found United States graduated from foreign medical schools who had that IMGs outperform US medical their internship/medical/surgical graduates on medical knowledge testing. The current study by residency training in the USA, Tsugawa and colleagues fills a more than 22,000 of them from gap in research by evaluating the Philippines. outcomes of inpatients cared For an objective evidencebased reply to that question, I am for by US-trained physicians and IMGs in the United States. reprinting below, verbatim, the Study synopsis and Tusgawa Harvard study published perspective in the British Medical Journal on Medicare patients admitted February 2, 2017: to the hospital and treated by Graduates of international medical schools are an important internists who graduated from medical schools outside the part of the healthcare system United States had lower 30-day in many Western countries, and mortality rates than matched the authors of the current study patients cared for by graduates provide a review of the role of of US schools, according to international medical graduates results of a study published (IMGs). They note that oneonline in the British Medical quarter of practicing physicians Journal. in the United States, United To practice in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are IMGs. In the United Kingdom, States, international medical school graduates must pass most IMGs trained in India, the 2 examinations on medical Republic of Ireland, or Pakistan, knowledge and 1 assessment whereas in the United States, IMGs from India, Pakistan, and the of clinical skills, and complete accredited residency training Philippines are fairly common. here. However, medical schools The United States requires that IMGs pass both United States outside the United States are not accredited by any Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Clinical Knowledge tests domestic agency. In response to concerns about quality of plus the USMLE Clinical Skills care from internationally trained test before being permitted to physicians, the Educational practice medicine. Moreover, Commission for Foreign the US Educational Commission Medical Graduates will require for Foreign Medical Graduates accreditation of medical schools has stated a goal to accredit all foreign medical schools by 2023. outside the United States by 2023.

In the United Kingdom, IMGs Studies comparing the have to pass an examination quality of care provided by of English proficiency and internationally trained physicians professionalism, but not examinations evaluating medical with that by domestically trained physicians are few and small in knowledge. scope. Yet, physicians trained There is concern among PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS

vicissitudes; it is a resourceful and decisive life that tirelessly works for self and others.”

Some life experiences that shaped my character: One of them was back when I was 6 years old when WWII erupted. It uprooted us from our normal comfortable life and exposed us to isolation, uncertainty and dislocation. We evacuated to the hinterlands, fearing for our lives and suffering paucity for basic necessities. From this childhood trauma, I learned that people are basically good.

Many people offered their homes and gave us food and drink as we tried to settle down in a hostile environment. Without them, we would have died of hunger and have been left to the mercy of the elements. This experience made me cherish the freedoms I enjoy. I also try to help the less fortunate, inspire and motivate them with the limited resources that I have and by sharing with them some of my life experiences. I try to connect with people. Everyone is interesting; everyone has a story to tell.

Another experience is the shattering realization that my first born child Lillibeth, will never walk because of Polio. After the initial shock of learning that my daughter would never walk, at age 20, I braced myself and convinced myself that there is life even with such a severe disability. We availed ourselves of the physical therapy available to her. And with the rest of our children, Lillibeth, despite her disability went to school and competed for excellence. I was and remain convinced that because she did not have a fullyfunctioning physical body, all the more there was a need for her to develop and train her mind. She worked for the Department of Social Welfare in the Philippines and founded Bahay Buhay Foundation for the disabled. The foundation continues to thrive to this day.

“Mama Lina” Navarro will be awarded Mother of the Year at The Beautiful Life Celebration by Monet Lu to be held on April 23.

For information call (213) 216-492.

outside the United States may be perceived by some as not as competent as physicians who attended medical school in the United States.

To compare the two, Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, PhD, from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues conducted a large observational study of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries to assess whether outcomes differ depending on whether their general internists were trained domestically or abroad. The study excluded graduates from Central America and the Caribbean to minimize inclusion of US citizens trained outside the country. The countries that contributed the most internists to US hospitals were China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Syria.

The researchers assessed 30day mortality rate (the primary outcome), readmission rate, and costs of care (total part B spending), and whether clinical condition influences differences in patient outcomes and care costs between the 2 groups of patients. In addition, they adjusted their models for patient characteristics (age, sex, race or ethnic group, diagnosis, and income), physician characteristics (age, sex, and patient volume), and hospital fixed effects (characteristics of hospitals).

Results indicated that 19,589 (44.3 percent) of 44,227 general internists in the United States graduated from medical schools outside the country.

They were slightly younger than US graduates (age 46.1 vs 47.9 years; P <.001) and were more likely to work in medium-sized, nonteaching, for-profit hospitals Continued on Page 7

An Asian Journal

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Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY A p R i l 7, 20 1 7

Love as the center...

From Page 3 became blind was a critical juncture for the Christian church.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit who suffused his entire being when the scales of his blindness fell off his eyes, Paul’s teachings and writings have an eternal shelf life - true today, as it was then, and will be for much of human history.

In the quiet of your soul during this holy season amid troubled times, read the gospels. Also, you just might discover the exquisite beauty, range and depth of human emotions made known to God, contained in the Psalms, all 150 of them. And then read Paul. You’ll be surprised at the clarity and current relevance of many of his writings to today’s unfolding history. He has a wealth of wisdom to share with anyone seeking meaning in a confusing world seemingly bent on self-immolation.

In a swirling fast-paced technological world full of self–love, vanity, illusions and artifice that only tend to distort and act as centrifugal forces pushing God away as the center of our lives, Paul’s directives make absolute sense. His words have the power to keep us all centered, as they were intended to be, not on ourselves, but on God. Ironically, it’s like being in the eye of the storm where there is peace while swirling forces rage about in the periphery.

This one below, if etched in many hearts and minds and lived out in our daily rounds through thoughts and more specifically in even the tiniest of actions,

The passage below is a favorite among couples and wedding planners and for good reason. particularly in couples, already These words are more than the married or planning marriage pretty, superficial veneer of rituals in the foreseeable future, could in weddings. remarkably bring down the Paul’s first letter to the alarming rate of break-ups and Corinthians 13, are words to live by a whole universe of heartaches among couples. This has the power telling us what really matters as he to preserve FAMILIES, the last best did then to members of the early church who were probably just as hope of humanity on steroids. lost, confused and disconcerted as These days, the very structure and integrity of the family unit are most of us probably are.

Set your hearts on the greater heavily assaulted from many fronts gifts. I will show you the way which with popular culture, Hollyweird, surpasses all the others. If I speak media and the internet leading with human tongues and angelic the charge at a time when the as well, but do not have love, I am church is weakened by internal a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. abuses and scandals and when If I have the gift of prophecy and, persecutions of Christians around with full knowledge, comprehend the world are at a terrifying, all mysteries, if I have faith great alarming rate and intensity.

Fear not. Let not our hearts be enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I troubled. As history will bear and give everything I have to feed the as written in the song, “Canticle poor and hand over my body to be of the Turning,” which is based burned, but have not love, I gain on the Blessed Mother Mary’s “Magnificat,” it is when the church nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is at its most vulnerable when the is not jealous, it does not put on forces of heaven align to defend airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never itself and go on the offensive in rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not subtle yet dramatic ways. The blood of early Christians spawned prone to anger; neither does it brood the rise of the early Church. History over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with does repeat itself. the truth. There is no limit to love’s Marriage as a bedrock forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its institution between man and a power to endure. woman is in serious danger, as Love never fails. man-made laws masquerading … And now faith, hope and love as civil liberties, are enacted to abide, these three; and the greatest challenge it, all in the name of political correctness. Strong family of these is love. *** units built on LOVE are so essential Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP in creating strong societies from of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send the ground up. Each generation comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ builds upon and learns from the asianjournalinc.com ones that came before it.

Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS APRIL 8

Filipino Cursillos’ Kalbaryo show in San Diego, CA The Filipino Cursillos in Christianity of Los Angeles, CA (FCIC-LA) will present a Kalbaryo (Lenten) show about the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus on Saturday, April 8. It will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Pala Mission Church, San Juan Diego Center at 3015 Pala Mission Rd., Pala, CA 92059. For further information, please contact any of the following: Tess Tan Torres at (213) 249-1507; Agnes Golingay at (818) 599-8401; Len Balino at (310) 203-3639; Genie Bagsic at (858) 472-9338; or Oddie Sabas at (760) 670-5868.

APRIL 14

Greenlining Institute Economic Summit in Oakland, CA On Friday, April 14, the Greenlining Institute’s 24th annual Economic Summit will boldly tackle local and national controversies as it focuses on the theme, “Racial Justice on the Frontlines.” With Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza moderating the opening discussion, community activists, political and business leaders will take on such challenging issues as gentrification, tech diversity (or the lack thereof), possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the impending arrival of Uber in downtown Oakland. It will be held at Oakland Marriott City Center at 1001 Broadway, Oakland, California. Registration opens 8 a.m., program starts at 8:30 and runs to 5:45 p.m. For more information, please visit www. greenlining.org.

APRIL 15

‘A Musical Odyssey’ in Cerritos, CA Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA, Inc. and DreamAgeGroup presents Rudolf Paleaz Golez, an internationally acclaimed Filipino virtuoso pianist in “A Musical Odyssey” on Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Other local singing talents will be present at the concert, such as recording artist Sean Collado, aspiring actress and singer Sheila Tejada, Sabrina Oxciano and Samantha Murray. Ticket prices are $35, $65 and $100. Proceeds of this performance will go toward the Pangansian Brotherhood-USA’s scholarship funds, which helps academically successful seniors who are college-bound in both the greater Los Angeles area and the Philippines. The performance will be at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts’ Sierra Room at 12700 Center Court Drive South, Cerritos, California 90703. Interested parties may contact project managers Dan E. Nino at (562) 921-5116 or denino1951@gmail.com; E. Mendoza at (623) 341-6247 or thedreamagegroup@gmail.com; Lino F. Caringal, Jr. at (714) 808-2642 or linojr.caringal@gmail.com; Bong Soriano at (909) 851-1493 or believe1156@gmail.com; Neil Estrada at (562) 301-9972 or bluezero2sixty@yahoo.com; or Feliz Lopez at (562) 572-2301 or fblopezinsurance@msn. com.

APRIL 20

CAUSE’s annual gala in Los Angeles Join Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) for its annual gala on Thursday, April 20. It will be held at LA Hotel’s California Ballroom at 333 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a VIP reception.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact kim@causeusa.org or visit www.causeusa.org.

APRIL 21

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

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

An Asian Journal

Magazine

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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY A p R i l 7, 20 1 7

Consul General Dizon-De Vega recognized as Asian Woman Achiever in New Jersey

New York – The Asian Health Services Program of the Holy Name Medical Center in Bergen County, New Jersey recognized Philippine Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega as one of the outstanding Asian women for 2017.

The recognition was conferred on the occasion of the institution’s “Celebrating Asian women: Achieving Health, wellness and excellence” event on Saturday, April 1.

The other two honorees are Margaret Lam, Ceo of Prosperity resource International Inc. and founder of the New Jersey Chinese Festival, and karen Lee, reporter and Fill-in Anchor for News 12 Consul General Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega welcomes and joins Filipino community members and tour and travel agents in a photo opportunity New Jersey. session during the launch of the 11th Ambassador’s Tour In her welcome remarks, Ms. kyung Hee Choi, Holy Name Medical Center Vice President for Asian Health Services stated that the honorees were chosen New York – The Philippine for their achievements in their Consulate General in New York respective professions and their and the Philippine Department of commitment to serving the public Tourism in New York (PDoT-NY) and their communities. She also with the support of Philippine spoke of the Asian Health program Airlines (PAL), encouraged catering to various groups in the the public to join the 11th Asian-American community and Ambassadors’ Tour during the which is a recognized National official launch of the 2017 Tour Model for healthcare. edition at the Philippine Center in In accepting the recognition New York. witnessed by nearly 200 In her remarks, Consul General guests, Consul General De Theresa Dizon-De Vega said that Vega congratulated the Asian the Philippines is experiencing Health Services Team and all the a golden age of tourism with a surge in tourism arrivals of Consul General De Vega encouraged community members to become partners in spreading volunteers of the program for raising awareness of health issues the word about Ambassador’s Tour through social media and networking activities.

631,000 in January 2017 - the Photos by NYPCG highest volume recorded in a encourage people to sign up for single month. She added that the taking PAL in travelling to the tour. the Philippines as it offers Philippines’ tourism prospects Consul General De Vega with competitive airfare rates, flies four are buoyed by glowing reviews the participation of Ms. Arboleda times a week, and provides free from international media and and Ms. Pallugna answered shuttle transportation from key savvy travelers on social media, additional questions about the points in Southern New Jersey including recognition of the tour towards the end of the and Philadelphia to JFk Airport New York CITY - ATN officers country’s islands as among the program.

During the program, several from the Philippine Consulate world’s best.

The launch was attended by General in New York delivered a PDoT Tourism representative community members who had over 50 tour and travel operators joined previous Ambassadors’ check worth US$10,000 for the Azucena Pallugna gave a and members of the Filipino repatriation of Filipina Mary Ann presentation on the Ambassadors’ Tours gave testimonials of their Community.

Coniega last wednesday, March 29.

Tour itinerary which runs from 11- experiences. Ms. Carol Tanjutco, To sign up for the a financial adviser, artist, and Ms. Coniega came to the 16 July 2017 in Manila and Davao Ambassador’s Tour, the community advocate based United States in 2016, and had and post-Tour packages for those public may visit the in New York City, along with been working in the New York who wish to spend extra time in following sites.http://www. edward Santos and Steven area, when she suffered a massive the Philippines. philippinetourismusa.com/2017raga delegates to the Filipinostroke last 28 January 2017. The Ms. Charisse Arboleda American Young Leaders Program ambassadors-tour/ or www. stroke left her in a condition of Philippine Airlines invited acgtdt.com.

(FYLPro) were on hand to known as “locked in syndrome”. community members to consider Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is a condition in which a patient is aware but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for vertical eye movements and blinking.

Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) representatives from the Consulate were informed by Mt. Sinai hospital about Ms. Coniega’s situation. The ATN section quickly informed the DFA of Ms. Coniega’s condition, and the necessity of bringing her home, since she has no family in the US.

11th Ambassadors’ Tour launches in New York

endemic to Asian-American communities. She noted that “the innovations introduced by the program such as more culturallysensitive care engenders an atmosphere of inclusion for many Asian-Americans who may be reluctant to seek health treatment or advice.”

Consul General De Vega affirmed the commitment of the Consulate General to help promote awareness of the program and encourage other institutions to follow this model.

She acknowledged the valuable inputs of Filipino medical practitioners, nurses, health workers, and researchers in the program.

The event included free medical screenings for the public undertaken by volunteer doctors

and nurses including Filipino doctors and members of the Philippine Nurses AssociationNew Jersey Chapter.

The St. Mary’s Parish Filipino Line Dance Ministry was also on hand to lead line dancing routines for participants in the day-long health fair. other guests included Bergenfield Council President Filipino-American Arvin Amatorio, council members from other townships in New Jersey, Chinese-American community members, korean- American community members, other Asian-American communities, the Asian American Federation, and the Filipino Seniors Club of Jersey City. Filipino Medical Program Director Veronica Lavarro was likewise on hand at the event.

PH Consulate, DFA, help bring home paralyzed Filipina

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If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com.

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

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

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

The check was handed over to Ms. Cathy Coniega, Mary Ann’s sister, who flew in from the Philippines to assist her sister and work for her repatriation to the Philippines.

The Department of Foreign Affairs’ office of the Undersecretary for Migrant workers Affairs (oUMwA) quickly authorized assistance to help pay for Mary

Ann’s repatriation, in cooperation with Mt. Sinai hospital.

The family of Mary Ann Coniega expressed its appreciation to the Philippine Consulate, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs for the assistance in getting her home. Ms. Coniega was repatriated in the morning of March 31.

Philippine Consulate General welcomes Global Studies students

New York – Consul General Theresa Dizon-de Vega with Philippine Center events Coordinator Victor Cruz welcomed a delegation of faculty and students of Tallwood Academy in Virginia to the Philippine Center in New York on March 30.

The high school students are enrolled in the Global Studies and world Languages Academy at Tallwood and visited the Center to receive a briefing on the work undertaken by foreign embassies and Consulates in the United States. The group was accompanied by faculty member Jessica windish, Global Studies Instructional Leaders.

Tallwood School has sister school arrangements with olongapo City National High School and olongapo regional Science High School Consul General Dizon-De Vega gave a briefing on the work undertaken by the Consulate and the Philippine embassy in washington, D. C. and the common work of foreign missions in general under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular relations.

The Consulate likewise gave the students copies of its biannual newsletter “kaakbay” to give them a broader sense of the various initiatives and projects of the Consulate General.

After a question and answer portion where students asked about gender equality challenges in the Philippine foreign service, systems for rendering assistance to overseas nationals, and priority

Ms. Jessica Windish, Global Studies Instructional Leader (extreme left) with Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega (Center) and the students of Tallwood School

Consul General Dizon-De Vega briefs the Tallwood Delegation

foreign policy concerns of the Philippines, the delegation was taken on a tour of the Center premises by Mr. Cruz.

The session with the Tallwood

Photos by Victor Cruz

students is part of the Consulate General’s outreach efforts to young Americans to better inform them about the Philippines and Philippines- US relations.

Ex-lovers Lovi and Rocco finally have a heart-to-heart

By Lhar

Santiago

ManilaTimes.net

WHEN Rocco Nacino accepted the invitation of Gabby Eigenmann for a night cap one evening, the Encantadia star had no idea who among their circle of friends were coming. He was already on the way to the venue—a restaurant which Gabby partly owns—when Rocco learned that his former girlfriend Lovi would be there. Rocco proceeded just the same.

It was a fun get-together with almost all of the GMA Network artist’s “Kapuso” barkada present.

As he joked and chatted with them, his eyes met Lovi’s as the night grew older, and in a spur-of-the moment decision, he approached her and asked if they can talk. Lovi readily agreed.

“While everyone was having fun talking, sabi ko, let’s talk about…alam mo na. The first few minutes, I could feel that we were both kinda uncomfortable.

May ilangan talaga kasi we never got to talk about what happened to us. Before we knew it, it was already 4 a.m. and everyone had left,” Rocco recalled the fateful night to Showbuzz.

He described their heart-toheart “exhilarating,” leaving him with a much “lighter feeling.”

“It was a very good talk— very mature,” he emphasized.

“Nakakatuwa nga because that night when we talked, she told me, ‘Alam mo, Rocco, I dreamt about you last night.’ Then [true enough]the following night, we got to talk. I was thinking, ang galing talaga ni God. Parang He made a way for us to meet. I was happy it happened and I’m happy

for her and her career. She’s doing Mulawin now, and I’m happy with all the big projects she’s getting.

I’m also happy with the good things happening in her personal life.”

Rocco believes his lengthy heart-to-heart was an answered prayer.

“It was really about time that we cleared up everything with each other. We were able to verbalize what we were feeling inside, and it really helped.

Kumbaga, walang nagtaasan ng pride. Tanggap lang kami nang tanggap. We just listened to what each one had to say.

Issues concerning why we broke up were answered. We both said sorry to each other and we forgave each other. I couldn’t be happier.”

The emotional baggage Rocco had been carrying since their split is all gone now. He feels he’s ready to move on.

Is it also time for a new

Angelo Antonio Maristela...

From Page 4 of art connoisseurs deem Abstract Expressionism practitioners to be some sort of “tired” Realism artists… but not Angelo. His wide range of innovative talent and extraordinary imaginative visualization of things are quite supreme and unrivaled.

Expectedly, Angelo’s ingenuity wasn’t limited on canvas but had eventually branched out to related fields. In 2009, he joined a design team of a leading design company in Doha, Qatar where he was assigned to create magnificent art pieces which now embellish exclusive residential and commercial villas in Qatar. Not all brilliant artists

were given the opportunity to do commissioned jobs by wealthy businessmen, potent sheikhs, and prominent personalities but Angelo had them all.

In the late 2015, Angelo, together with his wife, Lynn, and three children (Racco Angelo, 17 and currently on TASC class at Hudson Technical School; Renfrew Cephas, 15 in Grade 8; and Ressu Gaella, 9, in Grade 3) relocated to the US and since had been part of seven group exhibits: one in NJ, four in NYC, and two in florida. He was also privileged to be part of prestigious art groups including the elite SPAA (Society of Philippine American Artists) and the

relationship? “That I cannot answer right now. Yes, I could feel I’m ready but I’d rather wait for God’s time. God’s timing is always perfect,” Rocco averred.

Although he isn’t dating anybody right now, Rocco admits that Encantadia co-star Sanya Lopez is the girl closest to him at the moment. He clarified though that he isn’t pursuing her.

“We’re still together in a show and our friendship is going great.

I don’t want to rock the boat. Let’s see when we are finished with Encantadia.”

While waiting for what Rocco calls “God’s best plan for him,” he will see to it that he’s ready when the right girl comes. In fact, he’s now preparing to build his dream house in Antipolo.

“It’s the one big project of my life right now. Having my own house is in my bucket list. I’ve already talked to my contractor and hopefully, we can start building real soon.”

The Kapuso actor describes the house he’s building as very modern.

“Maraming salamin,” he quipped. “It’s going to have four rooms. One master’s bedroom, two bedrooms for my future children, and one guest room.”

At 30, Rocco is now serious about his future and wants to be prepared for a family. He knows he will have one sooner or later, which is why he is hard at work in showbiz.

“I hope in a few years’ time, perhaps when I’m 35, I’ll already start a family. Right now, I’m praying and waiting for the right girl to come my life,” Roco ended with a hopeful smile.

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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY A p R i l 7, 20 1 7

Why Lotlot de Leon is happy

By Lhar

Santiago ManilaTimes.net

If you see Lotlot de Leon blooming these days, it’s because she’s very happy with her life. Yes, she is in love. She doesn’t deny the fact that she and Lebanese boyfriend fred El Soury—or faddie, as Lotlot fondly calls him—are already entertaining the thought of getting married.

“Life is short. We have to stop the hate and be happy,” Lotlot quipped. faddie is very supportive of Lotlot not only in her acting career but also in the restaurantbar she opened just a couple of weeks ago. He helps her in operations because he knows how much Lotlot really worked hard at having a business.

“This resto-bar is really a dream come true for me. I’ve been

wanting to open a restaurant for such a long time, and now that I got the opportunity to do it, I will really give it my best shot and make it successful,” Lotlot vowed.

Even if she’s busy attending to South Grill, the name her restaurant-bar located in Bf Homes Paranaque, Lotlot doesn’t neglect her showbiz commitments. She’s busy taping for Destined To Be Yours with Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza.

“Hindi ko pala pwedeng kalimutan ang taping ko because it’s my primary job. One thing more, I really love working with Alden and Maine! They’re very nice and fun to work with. I’m so impressed with their humility. Parang wala lang sa kanila na sikat sila. Hindi pa-importante. I love their kind of Lotlot de Leon attitude,” Lotlot said.

Is patient death rate in USA...

From Page 5 without intensive care units.

In addition, their patients were more likely to be nonwhite, have Medicaid, have a lower median household income, and have more chronic comorbidities (congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, filipino Artists foundation. and diabetes).

Any time soon it won’t be The mortality analysis startling to hear the name Angelo included 1,215,490 patients Antonio Maristela affirmed as one admitted to the hospital under among the most accomplished the care of 44,227 general filipino artists essentially equipped internists between 2011 and with the sterling authority to fill a 2014. Patients treated by void spot in the annals of the world’s international graduates had greatest masters of fine Arts. lower mortality rates (adjusted Currently, his latest artworks mortality rate, 11.2 percent vs are put up on view at the Philippine 11.6 percent; adjusted odds ratio Center NY Lobby, heralding his first [OR], 0.95; 95 percent confidence solo art exhibit in the Big Apple. interval [CI], 0.93-0.96; P <.001).

Angelo Antonio Maristela’s NYC “Based on the risk difference Art Exhibit runs from April 3 to 14, of 0.4 percentage points, for 2017 at the Philippine Consulate every 250 patients treated by US along 556 fifth Avenue, New York, NY medical graduates, one patient’s 10036. life would be saved if the quality for comments and suggestions, of care were equivalent between please email to: gemini0646@yahoo. the international graduates and com.

US graduates,” the authors write.

international medical school graduates. The fact that some The cost analysis included internationally trained internists 1,276,559 patients treated by may have completed 2 residencies 44,680 physicians during the (one in the home country and one same study period. Overall, here) might also contribute to the patients of internationally slightly better mortality outcomes trained internists had slightly of their patients. higher adjusted costs of care The current study should per admission ($1145 vs $1098; help dispel the notion that adjusted difference, $47; 95 IMGs provide worse medical percent CI, $39-$55; P <.001). care compared with US medical Meanwhile, adjusted graduates. The study results readmission rates among 1,182,268 may be used by hospitals patients who were treated by and health systems to create 44,201 physicians did not differ awareness about IMGs and their between the 2 patient groups. qualifications as clinicians.

Patients receiving care from *** international graduates had lower Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac mortality rates than did patients of Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and US graduates for pneumonia and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to congestive heart failure.

2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, “Taken together, our findings where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus should reassure policymakers in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. and the public that our He is a Fellow of the American College of current approach to licensing Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, international medical graduates and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular in the US is sufficiently rigorous Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the to ensure high quality care,” the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) researchers conclude. humanitarian foundation in the United States.

They suggest that the testing For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: process may select for the top scalpelpen@gmail.com

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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY ApRil 7, 2017