060917 - New York & New Jersey

We’ve got you covered from Hollywood to Broadway... and Online!

Volume 10 – Issue 35 • 16 Pages

june 9-15, 2017

133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 • Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858 • 2500 Plaza S. Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 • Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858

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

Aguirre tags Trillanes, Aquino in Marawi crisis

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

JUSTiCe Secretary Vitaliano aguirre ii is seeking an investigation into the possible connection of opposition lawmakers with the terror crisis in Marawi City. aguirre said Senators Bam aquino and antonio Trillanes iV, together with and Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary alejano and former aquino administration presidential political adviser Ronald Llamas, met with local leaders in Marawi City weeks before the conflict broke out. he also suggested that the Marawi

DATELINE

incident could be part of the destabilization plot against President Rodrigo Duterte. “i don’t understand why after they went there, there was chaos after about two weeks,” the justice secretary remarked at a press conference on Wednesday, June 7.

The meeting between the opposition senators and local leaders supposedly happened two weeks before the clashes between government forces and the islamic State (iS)-inspired Maute terrorist group first erupted on May 23.

“Because Senator Bam aquino, i’m not — all i’m saying is, he went

to Marawi on april 24 and april 28 and they stayed, they had a meeting at Lake View Resort hotel on May 2.

Present were Senator aquino, Ronald Llamas, alejano, Trillanes, and some clans there in Marawi, mga Moro family,” aguirre said. he hinted that there’s a possibility that the meeting could have “sparked the terroristic acts.” “i don’t know, but what i was told is that, they met with several families there, including Lucman and alonto families. But i don’t want to connect it, unless there is evidence in the money taken, seized,” aguirre added, referring to the P52 million

cash found in a previously Maute-occupied house. in an apparent support of his allegations, aguirre showed reporters a photo of the supposed meeting. in the photo were Llamas, aquino, Trillanes, alejano, former Pampanga Gov. Mark Lapid, and Zamboanga Vice Governor ace Cerilles.

But Cerilles, through social media, clarified that the photo was taken two years ago. “i have said, this picture was taken Sept. 4, 2015 at iloilo international airport when i attended the League of the Municipalities of the Philip-

u PAGE A2

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre has fresh accusations over what he thinks are possible links of Sens. Bam Aquino, Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV to recent national tragedies in the Philippines. The three legislators are staunch critics of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

‘SC has no right to dictate Congress’

USA

Alvarez to defy order to convene joint martial law review session

FROM The aJPReSS NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

‘PH-US military ties remain strong’

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

AFP receives new counterterrorism weapons

The military relationship between the Philippines and the United States remains strong despite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s seemingly distant approach to the U.S. government, officials from both countries affirmed. head of U.S. Pacific Command admiral harry harris and Philippine Undersecretary for Defense Policy Ricardo David both made the assurance during the Southeast asian Young Leaders’ Programme on Sunday, June 4 in Singapore. “i believe that we are in a very good place with regard to military to military activities in the Philippines,” harris said.

Backing up harris’ statement, David added: “as far as the Philippines is concerned, i think we have good relations with the United States. The Balikatan just concluded. it will continue because this is a part of

u PAGE A3

TO THE HIGH COURT. Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, former Commission on Human Rights chief Etta Rosales, former representative Barry Gutierrez and PhilHealth president Alex Padilla hold copies of the petition asking the Supreme Court to compel Congress to hold a joint session and discuss martial law.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma

hOUSe Speaker Pantaleon alvarez threatened to “tear down” any Supreme Court (SC) order compelling Congress to convene a joint session to review Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law declaration in Mindanao. in an interview with reporters on Thursday, June 8, alvarez said Congress would ignore any directives from the SC, stressing that the judiciary and the legislature are coequal branches.

“Mag-issue ng direktiba ang Supreme Court telling Congress, dictating Congress mag-convene kayo ng joint session, punitin ko ‘yan (if the Supreme court issues an order dictating congress to convene, i’ll rip up that order),” alvarez said.

The house Speaker made the statement after martial law critics filed two petitions before the Supreme Court, asking the judiciary to compel the Congress to convene a joint review session on the proclamation.

“Balikan muna nila ‘yung law books (They should review the law books). how can the

US accuses China of Robredo: Constitution has Police: Resorts World ‘buying its way out’ of checks and balances to gunman a ‘heavily South China Sea issues prevent abuse of power indebted’ gambler China cannot use its economic powers to evade issues concerning territorial disputes in the South China Sea row and the rising tensions in the Korean Peninsula, the United States said on Monday, June 5.

While Washington desires to have a “productive” relationship with Beijing, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stressed that China should not “buy its way out” of diplomatic issues.

“We desire productive relationships, but we cannot allow China to use its economic power to buy its way out of other problems,

by nikko

Dizon Inquirer.net

u PAGE A2

by AJPress

San FeRnanDO, Pampanga— Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, June 8 said the Constitution clearly defined the separation of powers of the three branches of government and provided checks and balances for each to avoid abuse of power.

Robredo, a lawyer and former district representative, was asked to comment on the statement of Speaker Pantaleon alvarez iii that he would rip up any Supreme Court order for Congress to convene into a joint session and review President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law declaration.

The lone gunman behind the Resorts World Manila attack that killed 37 last Friday, June 2 was a “heavily indebted” gambler, according to the Philippine police. in a press briefing on Sunday, June 4, national GUNMAN IDENTIFIED. National Capital Region Police Office Chief Oscar Capital Region Police Office (nCRPO) Chief Oscar Albayalde shows the picture of Resorts World Manila attacker named albayalde identified the gunman as 42-year-old Jessie Carlos during the press briefing’ at Remington Hotel in Pasay

u PAGE A2

City on Sunday, June 3.

PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

Comelec, Smartmatic execs charged DOT launches new ‘Experience Philippines’ campaign over 2016 elections script changes u PAGE A3

u PAGE A3

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) is set to launch its newest campaign advertisement next week.

On Wednesday, June 7, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo showed reporters a Tourism officials led by Tourism Sec. Wanda Teo (center) held preview of a minute-long a press conference at the DOT Media Center in Makati City on promotional video for its Wednesday, June 7.

PNA photo by Ben Briones newest “experience Philip-

pines” tourism campaign.

The video features a blind Japanese retiree, Mr. Uchimura, being warmly received by Filipinos while engaging in different activities at several top tourist destinations in the Philippines. among the destinations featured in the ad include the hundred islands in Pan-

u PAGE A4

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

made public on Wednesday, June 7, reversed the Manila Prosecutor’s Office’s (MPO) earlier deciThe Department of Justice sion that dismissed the case for (DOJ) has ordered the filing of violating Republic act 10175 or charges against several Smart- the Cybercrime Prevention act matic and Commission on elec- against the officials due to lack tions (Comelec) officials for of merit and insufficiency of evichanging the script in the trans- dence. parency server during the result among the charged were transmissions of the May 2016 Comelec’s iT specialists Rouie national elections.

Peñalba, nelson herrera, and The DOJ’s move, which was Frances Mae Gonzales.

The DOJ also found probable cause to charge Smartmatic technical support team head Marlon Garcia and his subordinates neil Baniqued and Mauricio herrera.

The DOJ, however, affirmed the dismissal of elie Moreno, Smartmatic general manager and project director, due to “lack of any allegation attributing any act of participation constituting a violation of the provisions of the

u PAGE A3

A june 9-15, 2017 • neW YORK AnD neW jeRSeY ASIAn jOuRnAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

From the Front Page

Aguirre tags Trillanes, Aquino...

PAGE A1 t pines Visayas Conference as the National Treasurer. I don’t know why they are trying to link this to the #MarawiSiege. Check your facts!” Cerilles wrote in a Facebook post.

In a later statement, however, Aguirre retracted his remarks, claiming that the media “misquoted” him.

“For the record, I did not say there was a meeting between the two families and some lawmakers prior to the Marawi siege. The said meeting never took place WALKING TO SCHOOL. Several students walk two kilometers going to Barangay Santiago High School during the opening of classes in and no member of both families General Trias City, Cavite on Monday, June 5.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan ever met with Senator Trillanes, Congressman Alejano and Ronald Llamas,” Aguirre said.

He further insisted, “What I said was that there were rePAGE A1 t Dismissed from service While reports claimed Carlos ports that some opposition senaJessie Carlos, who was a dis- didn’t directly shoot any individIn a separate statement, the tors and leaders who went to missed Department of Finance ual, officials said the incident led DOF confirmed that Carlos was Marawi to recruit local politicians (DOF) official. to the deaths of 13 employees and its former employee. and warlords to destabilize the According to Albayalde, Carlos 24 guests who mostly died from DOF said Carlos was a tax spe- Duterte administration. I never racked up about P4 million-worth suffocation. Sixty-seven others cialist at the One-Stop Shop Tax said that they were successful in of debt at a certain casino he fre- were reportedly injured. and Duty Drawback Center, but recruiting any local politicians quented, which police declined to Authorities said Carlos died was dismissed by the Ombudsname. after setting himself on fire and man in 2014 in connection with The NCRPO chief later noted shooting himself in the head. issues concerning his Statement that the said casino was not ReThe NCRPO chief maintained of Assets, Liabilities Net Worth PAGE A1 t sorts World Manila. that the incident was not an act (SALN).

“He is heavily indebted due to of terrorism, brushing off specuIn 2011, the Revenue Integrity Supreme Court dictate Congress being hooked on casino gambling, lations that the Islamic State (IS) Protection Service (RIPS) filed a what to do? Co-equal body ‘yan,” according to his immediate fami- terrorist group was behind the complaint against Carlos over his Alvarez said. ly,” Albayalde said. “This became attack.

On May 23, Duterte ordered “failure to disclose truthfully all the cause of misunderstanding the imposition of martial law and “We reiterate that this is not an his assets in his SALN.” with his wife and parents. He has act of terrorism but this incident “In a 17-page decision received the suspension of the writ of haa bank account with an outstand- is confined to the act of one man on April 25, 2014, the Ombuds- beas corpus in Mindanao amid ing debt of P4 million and several alone,” Albayalde said. man dismissed Carlos for Grave the ongoing confrontation beother non-bank related debt.”

Earlier, United States terrorism Misconduct and Gross Neglect of tween government forces and an He said Carlos was forced to monitor SITE Intelligence Group Duty for not declaring his house Islamic States (IS)-linked militant sell a property in Batangas prov- said an IS Filipino operative “stat- and lot in Manila in his 2003 group in Marawi City. ince, including a vehicle, on ac- ed that the group is responsible to 2006 SALNs, his Toyota InSection 18, Article VII of the count of his debts. for the attack” at Resorts World nova SUV in his 2007 SALN and 1987 Constitution states that the Carlos’ gambling problem Manila. his business interest in his 2010 president of the Philippines may prompted his family to ask state“We have and will continue to SALN,” a May 2014 statement place the country under martial owned Philippine Amusement base our pronouncements on facts posted on the Revenue Integrity law and suspend the privilege of and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to and evidence properly gathered,” Protection Service (RIPS) website the writ of habeas corpus in case ban him from its casinos. of invasion or rebellion for not Albayalde added. “We will not al- read.

As per the request of his family, low people or any threat group to It also cited Carlos’ “huge exceeding than 60 days.

Pagcor had banned Carlos from use this situation to advance their loans” and purchasing of proper The law, however, also gives all of its casinos since April 3. propaganda or personal causes properties higher than his total Congress the power to revoke or “This could have probably trig- whether foreign or local. This is gross income. extend such proclamation or susgered him, kaya galit na galit siya our duty to the Filipino people “The failure to declare some of pension for a period. sa (that’s why he’s so angry at the) and to the international commu- his assets at the time these assets The Supreme Court may also casino,” Albayalde added. were actually acquired and/or review the “sufficiency of the facnity.”

At midnight on Friday, Carlos Abayalde declared the attack as registered under his name and tual basis” of the proclamation or stormed into Resorts World Ma- ‘case closed’ as far as the suspect his scheme of claiming several in- the suspension of the privilege of nila in Pasay City with an M4 car- is concerned. debtedness without giving partic- the writ of habeas corpus followbine and two 1.5-liter bottles of He, however, noted that inves- ulars i.e. from whom he acquired ing an “appropriate proceeding gasoline. He fired shots inside the tigations are still ongoing, par- these enormous loans can also re- filed by any citizen.” casino, burned down gambling ticularly on the possible liabilities flect his evil desire to conceal his Expressing its “full support,” tables, and stole an about 113 mil- of Resorts World Manila manage- ill-gotten wealth” it further read, both the House of Representalion-worth of casino chips. tives and the Senate adopted a quoting the Ombudsman. n ment with regard to security.

Police: Resorts World gunman...

and warlords.”

The justice secretary went on to express his “sincere apologies” to the Alonto and Lucman families “for any confusion” in connection with the issue.

“There was no intent on my part to implicate the Alonto and Lucman families in the crisis that Marawi City is currently facing,” Aguirre said. “Both families have never been and shall never be a part of any plot to destroy or cause harm to anybody or any property.”

Opposition: Aguirre is a ‘liar’ In separate statements, Aquino, Trillanes, and Alejano, all denied alleged links with the Maute group, slamming Aguirre for his “lies.”

“To be clear, there was never any meeting among the individuals mentioned by Sec. Aguirre,” Aquino said.

While he admitted that he went to Marawi City last month, he clarified that it was for the May 19 launch of the first Negosyo Cen-

ter in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

He further noted that this can be easily verified with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), who he said escorted him on his trip.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also issued a statement backing up Aquino’s claims.

“The [DTI] would just like to state the fact that Sen. Bam Aquino, along with our stakeholders in the military, the business sector and the local government, were in Marawi to attend the launch of ARMM’s first Negosyo Center in Marawi, the 508th Negosyo Center in the country,” it said.

Aquino then took a swipe at Aguirre for making “outrageous allegations.”

“Is fake news enough for the head of our country’s Department of Justice to make these outrageous allegations?” Aquino hit back.

u PAGE A5

‘SC has no right to dictate...

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez accept President Rodrigo Duterte’s report on martial law at the Presidential Guest House in Davao City last May 25.

Malacañang photo

separate resolutions last week that both found “no reason” to revoke Duterte’s proclamation.

“Hindi ko alam anong logic meron. Eh nagpasa na majority ng Senado supporting the declaration of martial law. Nagpasa ng resolution ang House of Representatives majority supporting the declaration of martial law.

Magconvene ka ng joint session, ano pag-uusapan natin? (I don’t get the logic there. The Senate and majority in the House of Representatives already passed

a resolution supporting martial law. If we convene on joint session, what else will we talk about?),” Alvarez said.

Asked if defying the Supreme Court would result to constitutional crisis, Alvarez it would happen but the Congress cannot be blamed about it..

“Eh talagang magkakaroon ng constitutional crisis. At hindi namin kasalanan ‘yun (There will indeed be a constitutional crisis.

But it won’t be our fault),” he responded.

WE ARE

HIRING Asian Journal Publications is now looking for:

Customer Sales and Service Representative Fax résumé to:

info@asianjournalinc.com

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com

From the Front Page

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 9-15, 2017

A

Robredo: Constitution has checks and balances...

PAGE A1 t “Hindi ko narinig,” Robredo said. “Pero sa akin, klaro ang Constitution sa pagbibigay ng responsibility saan, ano ang limits ng powers ng bawat branch of government. At klaro ang principle of separation of powers.

Klaro rin na ang bawat isang departmento may pagkakataon na tingnan, silipin ang responsibilities and exercise of power ng bawat isa para walang pang-aabuso.” (“I didn’t hear it. But for me, the Constitution is clear in giving responsibility and limits to the powers of each branch of government. And the separation of powers is also clear. It’s also clear that each department is given the opportunity to look into the responsibilities and the exercise

magistrates to order Congress to convene into a joint session.

Alvarez said the Supreme Court “dictating” on what Congress ought to do would result in a “constitutional crisis,” something that the petitioners should have realized before they filed they petition with the High Court.

Dominated by allies of Duterte, both Houses of Congress issued resolutions expressing support for Duterte’s declaration of martial law over the whole of Mindanao, which was triggered by the Vice Pres. Leni Robredo Inquirer.net photo fighting between the military and the Maute Group in Marawi City. of power of other departments to The Maute Group and the Abu prevent the abuse of power.”)

Sayyaf, led by Isnilon Hapilon, The Vice President said she have pledged allegiance to the would no longer comment on the Islamic State. Duterte declared details of the petition filed in the martial law to address the terror Supreme Court, which asked the threat. n

‘PH-US military ties remain...

PAGE A1 t our Philippine alliance with the US. We have a Mutual Defense Treaty.”

Duterte, who assumed office in June last year, had announced that the Philippines would shift closer toward China and Russia as part of his administration’s independent foreign policy.

David, however, assured that the Duterte administration’s building of closer ties with other countries like China and Russia doesn’t mean that the Philippines would distance itself away from the U.S., its decades-long ally.

“The president, I believe, wants to have an independent foreign policy, meaning we can be open to China, we can be open to Russia. He wants to have cooperation also with those two countries,” he said.

Harris also noted that Philippine and U.S. forces have been working together against terrorist threats, which exhibits the importance of the two countries’ military relationship.

“We are involved in activities in Mindanao to help the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) take the fight to IS in the Philippines. I think that is a recognition of how important our relationship with the Philippines is,” Harris said.

The two officials made the statement amid the ongoing clashes between the Philippine government forces and the Islamic Stateinspired Maute Group in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur. The Maute group laid siege of Marawi City on May 23 in the middle of a government opera-

tion to capture Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon. Hours later, the confrontation prompted Duterte to declare martial law and suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the entire Mindanao.

On Sunday, June 5, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella announced on a state-run radio that around 188 people have been killed in connection with the Marawi crisis.

“As of 11 p.m., June 3, 2017 in Marawi, there have been 30 civilians that have been killed by local terrorist groups, and those rescued are 1,271. Government casualties or those killed in action are 38,” Abella said. “Our troops have killed 120 from the terrorist ranks, and that has remained unchanged.”

Counterterror weapons On Monday, June 5, the Philippine Marines received new counterterrorism weapons from the U.S. government under its U.S. Counterterrorism Train and Equip program.

Washington has donated new firearms, among of which include 300 M4 carbines, 200 Glock 21 pistols, four M134D Gatling-style machine guns and 100 M203 grenade launchers.

“This equipment will enhance the [Philippine Marines’] counterterrorism capabilities, and help protect [troops] actively engaged in counterterrorism operations in the southern Philippines,” the U.S. embassy said in a statement.

Since 2007, the embassy said the Joint United States Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) has delivered and programmed P7.3

A Philippine Marine and U.S. military officer inspect a new M4 carbine during the weapons and equipment delivery from the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) defense modernization efforts. The weapons delivery is part of the U.S. government grant program for the AFP. Aside from M4 carbines, the U.S. has also turned over rubber boats to the Philippine Marine Corps.

Photo from the U.S. Embassy in Manila

US accuses China of ‘buying...

PAGE A1 t whether it’s militarizing islands in the South China Sea or failing to put appropriate pressure on North Korea,” Tillerson said after a meeting with his counterpart in Sydney, Australia.

He added, “They must recognize that, with a role as a growing economic and trading power comes security responsibilities as well.”

China, which has been considered among the wealthiest countries around the globe in terms of economy, has been exerting sovereignty throughout almost all of the South China Sea. Despite the counterclaims of its Asian neighboring countries, China has built several artificial islands within the disputed reefs.

At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump, who assumed office in January this year, has started to seek China’s help in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

This has caused concerns among Asian allies that the U.S. might turn soft on China in connection with the sea.

Last month, the United States sent its guided-missile destroyer, U.S.S. Dewey, to patrol within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea, marking the first freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) conducted in the disputed waters under the Trump administration.

The U.S. Navy warship specifically sailed in Mischief Reef, a part of the Spratly Islands, where countries like China and the Philippines have competing claims. Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Viet-

nam also have overlapping claims in the Spratlys region.

U.S.-Australia commitment Also on Monday, the governments of the U.S. and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. “The U.S. and Australia reaffirmed our commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the seas, particularly the South China Sea and elsewhere, to ensure unimpeded flow of lawful commerce in a rules-based order,” Tillerson said.

He added that both countries express opposition against “China’s artificial island construction and their militarization that features in international waters.”

The two countries also called on North Korea “to abandon its illegal nuclear weapons program.”

In response to U.S. and Australia’s joint statement, China, on the other hand, reiterated that Beijing has been working with its concerned neighbors in promoting peace and stability in the disputed waters.

“We hope relevant parties can fully respect and support regional countries’ efforts to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and play a constructive role in this regard, rather than the opposite,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Hua also pointed out that China and Southeast Asian countries have reached a framework of a code of conduct in the South China Sea. (AJPress)

billion worth of weaponry to the Philippine military as part of enhancing the latter’s counterterrorism capabilities.

It added that the U.S. government has allocated P15 billion of grant funding to provide the AFP with equipment, including corresponding upgrades and training, over the last five years.

Additionally, the Philippine government has procured small arms, watercraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and personal protective equipment under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

According to Marines Chief

MEMORIAL. Resorts World Manila put up a memorial wall for the 37 persons who died of suffocation in its second-floor VIP casino hall, with people offering flowers, candles and prayers for the victims of the tragedy last Friday, June 2.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Bob Dungo Jr.

Comelec, Smartmatic execs...

PAGE A1 t

Cybercrime Prevention Act.” “[T]he Comelec IT personnel at the [Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting] center had no authority to allow any Smartmatic personnel to tweak the script of the transparency server,” the resolution resolution read.

Marcos’ camp, meanwhile, welcomed the DOJ ruling.

“This is a most welcome development because the unauthorized change they introduced in the script of the transparency server indeed undermined the credibility of the elections. It was u PAGE A4 only after the script was changed

that the results for the vice-presidential race began to change at a uniform rate of 40 to 1, which was statistically impossible,” said Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesman.

The issue on the script changes is among the grounds raised by Marcos in his fraud accusations against the Liberal Party and Vice President Leni Robredo.

Marcos initially led the results during the election night but Robredo turned the tables the following morning. Robredo won the position with only around 263,000 votes more than Marcos.

“This is a victory for the Filipino people, especially those

whose votes were not counted on election day,” Rodriguez added.

In its resolution, the DOJ dismissed the Comelec’s argument that the script change was only for “cosmetic” purposes when they corrected the items “ñ” appearing as “?” and thus, do not affect the election results.

The DOJ, however, pointed out the criminal intent is unnecessary in RA 10175.

The Justice department also rejected the Smartmatic’s defense when it said the Protocol of Escalation gave them authority to take action in case of glitches in the systems.

The DOJ further noted that the change was not immediately reported after it was implemented.

A june 9-15, 2017 • neW YORK AnD neW jeRSeY ASIAn jOuRnAL

Dateline USa

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

UN official seeks protection for Special Rapporteur Callamard amid threats

PAYING HIS RESPECTS. President Rodrigo Duterte visited the wake to console the bereaved families of victims of the Resorts World Manila incident. The also visited other three funeral homes in Metro Manila where the remains of the victims lie.

Malacañang photo

Pentagon: China used coercive force to enforce maritime claims

by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

Viray

Beijing has used its growing power to assert its sovereignty claims over features in the east and South China Seas, the US Department of Defense said in its 2017 China Military Power Report.

“China has used coercive tactics, such as the use of law enforcement vessels and its maritime militia, to enforce maritime claims and advance its interests in ways that are calculated to fall below the threshold of provoking conflict,” the report read.

The Pentagon reported that for the past year, China continued construction of its military outposts in the Spratly islands in the disputed South China Sea, part of which the Philippines claims as the West Philippine Sea. China can now deploy military asserts to the Spratly islands as it is nearly finished with the construction of infrastructures on

Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross Reefs.

The report also noted that Beijing was able to land civilian aircraft on its airfields on the “Big Three” artificial islands.

The Pentagon took note of the july 2016 of an arbitral tribunal ruling which invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim in the disputed waters, which Beijing rejected.

“Among other things, the tribunal ruled that China’s ‘nine-dash line’ cannot represent a lawful maritime claim to the extent that any of the claims it reflects would exceed the limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention,” the Pentagon said.

The report added that the United nations-backed tribunal did not rule on sovereignty claims to land features which is an issue outside the scope of the Convention on the Law of the Sea. President Rodrigo Duterte did not attempt to advance the Phil-

‘PH-US military ties remain...

PAGE A3 t Maj. gen. emmanuel Salamat, some of the donated weapons will be used by the military in its operations in Marawi.

“We will give this to our troops.

Our priority is in Marawi,” Sal-

amat told reporters after the turn-over ceremony at the Marine headquarters in Taguig City.

Last week, Duterte said he will no longer accept second-hand weapons for the Philippine military.

ippines’ position based on the ruling, easing tensions between Beijing and Manila.

“China publicly welcomed improved relations with the Philippines, signing $24 billion in potential economic agreements and pledging to settle territorial disputes through dialogue, and it also characterized President Duterte’s approach towards China as contrasting with that of his predecessor, former Philippine President Benigno Aquino iii,” the report read. earlier this week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accused China of using its economic power to “buy its way out” of problems including the South China Sea dispute. in a joint statement after the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations in Sydney, Tillerson and Australian Foreign Minister julie Bishop called for the demilitarization of disputed features in the South China Sea. n

ZeiD Ra’ad Al Hussein, one of the top United nations officials for human rights, sought for protection for his staff, including Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial executions Agnes Callamard, who was subject to smear and hate campaigns in the Philippines. in a speech before the Un Human Rights Council in geneva, Zeid said it is the Un’s “responsibility to do all we can to protect” Callamard and other special procedures officers who were targets of “disgraceful incidents of personal threats and insults.”

Zeid said that it was government officials that led the intimidation and reprisals against Callamard, Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Yanghee Lee and Special Rapporteur on iran Asma jilani jahangir.

Rapporteurs are independent experts considered as fact finders who are not officially employed by the Un. Though appointed by the Human Rights Council, Callamard and other special rapporteurs do not receive salaries from the international body.

“When government or other officials intimidate, arrest or harm these individuals, they are attacking a fundamental element of the work of this council and the Un, and it is our responsibility to do all we can to protect them,” Zeid said in his speech on Tuesday.

Callamard, he said, was specifically subject to such reprisals in the context of discussions on the Philippines.

In this May 2017 file photo, Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial Executions Agnes Callamard asks a question at a drug policy forum at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.

Philstar.com photo by Efigenio Toledo IV

While Zeid did not specifically mention Rodrigo Duterte, the president and his officials publicly criticized Callamard when she made an unofficial visit to Manila last month to attend a drug policy forum at the University of the Philippines.

Then Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who became Duterte’s pick for the top diplomat post, also took aim at Callamard before the Un body that appointed her, questioning her credibility and qualifications to look into cases of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

Callamard has been outspoken, usually through her Twitter account, against killings in the Philippines done in the banner campaign against illegal drugs launched by Duterte.

The Philippine government, meanwhile, has set conditions

on her visit to the Philippines despite it being a periodic mission for designated rapporteurs on human rights.

Among the conditions for her visit was to inspect only areas allowed by the government and appear in a public debate with Duterte where he would be allowed to ask her questions. Callamard, however, stood her ground and noted that findings of the investigation should remain confidential.

“The Philippines has accepted three visits in the past five years but 23 other requests are pending,” Zeid said. in September, Zeid also expressed his alarm before the Un Human Rights Council over the refusal of governments to grant access to his staff. (Camille Diola/ Philstar.com)

Daylight on diabetes drugs: Nevada bill would track insulin makers’ profits

PATienTS notched a rare win over the pharmaceutical industry Monday when the nevada Legislature revived a bill requiring insulin makers to disclose the profits they make on the life-sustaining drug. in a handful of other states, bills addressing drug prices have “i do not want those given by stalled.

Many of the 1.25 million Amerithe Americans. During my time, i will not have second-hand ships. cans who live with Type 1 diabetes it has to be brand new,” Duterte cheered the legislative effort in told soldiers at a military base in nevada as an important first step in their fight against skyrocketing Mindanao last Friday, june 2.

He added that he is willing to costs of a drug on which their “spend double the money” as lives depend. The cost of insulin long as the weapons for Filipino medications has steadily risen over the past decade by nearly troopers were new. (AJPress) 300 percent.

Prominent patient advocacy groups, like the American Diabetes Association, have maintained stony silence while diabetes patients championed the bill and lobbied the legislature during this debate — a silence that patients and experts say stems from financial ties. “normally all of the patient advocacy groups rally around causes and piggyback on each other in a productive way — that’s what advocacy groups are good at — but that hasn’t been the case here,” said Thom Scher, chief operating officer of Beyond Type 1, which does not accept donations from the pharmaceutical industry. Beyond Type 1 has not issued a formal opinion on the nevada bill.

Many of the dozens of U.S. diabetes advocacy organizations, large and small, garner significant portions of their funding from insulin manufacturers. The nevada bill also requires such organizations operating in-state to disclose all contributions they receive from the pharmaceutical industry to discourage that sort of conflict. in 2016, two of the “big three” insulin producers — eli Lilly and Sanofi — contributed at least $4.7 million to such national patient advocacy groups as the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC), jDRF international and the Diabetes Hands Foundation, according

Many of the 1.25 million Americans who live with Type 1 diabetes cheered the legislative effort in Nevada as an important first step in their fight against skyrocketing costs of a drug on which their lives depend.

The cost of insulin medications has steadily risen over the past decade by nearly 300 percent.

to company disclosures. The third major insulin manufacturer, novo nordisk, does not disclose its charitable contributions.

The advocacy groups have taken no position on the nevada legislation. generally speaking, their advocacy focuses on pressuring insurers to pay the price of insulin, not protesting price rises.

Local diabetes groups, hardly free from conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry, have also stayed on the sidelines.

The nevada Diabetes Association for Children and Adults officially issued a neutral opinion.

“The nevada Diabetes Association supports regulations on medications. The problem with SB 265 is that it is not just regulating medication but the industry,” said executive Director Sarah gleich.

The nonprofit does not list its fiscal sponsors on its website or most recent 990 tax form.

“We disclose what we have received, and the iRS does not require that we publicly publish from whom,” gleich said. “no one is giving out their invitation list to the party.” gleich said the nevada Diabetes Association receives table sponsorships and supplies for camp programs from the pharmaceutical industry but “nothing that would make a dent on the budget.” Auditing non-monetary

donations in order to meet the bill’s transparency requirement would be burdensome, gleich said.

Membership dues accounted for only about $6,000 of the group’s $320,000 in revenue last year, according to its latest tax form.

The American Diabetes Association — which operates a nevada chapter — accepted at least $3.9 million from eli Lilly and Sanofi last year.

“The American Diabetes Association believes that no individual in need of lifesaving medications such as insulin should ever go without due to prohibitive costs,” Michelle Kirkwood, its director of strategic communications and media relations, said in a statement. She would not say whether the nonprofit supports the bill.

Former American Diabetes Association president Larry Hausner wrote an op-ed in the nevada Appeal opposing the legislation.

“Caring for people with diabetes involves more than what they pay for insulin or another medication,” Hausner wrote. “As a lifelong patient advocate, i know nevadans expect more out of their elected officials.” Hausner, now the president of a consulting and public affairs firm, serves on the board of directors of Research!America, a nonprofit promoting increased

u PAGE A5

DOT launches new ‘Experience Philippines’...

PAGE A1 t gasinan, Banaue Rice Terraces in ifugao, Paoay Sand Dunes in Laoag, and Calle Crisologo in Vigan.

“Here, you don’t have to see the sun to discover radiance.

You don’t have to see color to experience vibrance. You don’t have to see smiles to know you’re safe You don’t have to see to feel you’re home,” Uchimura said in the video.

According to DOT Undersecretary Kat de Castro, the new ad is based on a true experience of a foreigner who decided to retire in the Philippines.

She added that the add is also meant to promote the country as PWD and senior citizen-friendly destination.

The campaign is scheduled to be launched locally at on independence Day, june 12, and later, worldwide. earlier in january, the DOT released its first campaign ad with the tagline, “When you’re with Filipinos, you’re with family.”

Nickelodeon Park Also on Wednesday, the Tourism chief took the opportunity to clarified that only the Department of environment and natural Resources (DenR) has the authority to issue permits for the construction of the controversial nickelodeon theme park in Coron, Palawan.

“Syempre at the end of the day, hindi naman kami yung mag-i-issue ng permit, it’s DenR and the local government unit (Of course at the end of the day, it is not the DOT who will issue the permit but it’s the DENR and the local government unit),” Teo said.

Teo made the statement days after announcing in a television interview that the project will push through despite a heavy opposition from environmental advocates and concerned citizens.

“DOT does not issue permits.

We are only here to sell the destination once it is ready... to promote the destination. if it has complied with everything,

i’m sure bibigyan ng permit ‘yan (i’m sure they’ll be given permit) and we will sell the destination definitely,” she added.

Allaying fears, Teo reaffirmed that the park developers assured her they would “preserve the environment,” and that the project will not damage the corals.

Last january, nickelodeon’s parent company Viacom, in partnership with Coral World Park Undersea Resorts inc., announced its plan to develop a 400-hectare theme park in Coron.

A previous company release said it plans to build an “undersea development showcasing the area’s marine life that would give fans a chance to ‘interact with the brand and the iconic characters they love.’”

The developers, however, was quick to clarify that the project is not an underwater theme park but rather, a land-based “resort and attraction” designed as “an undersea attraction with an ocean conservation focus.”

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 9-15, 2017

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Tourism chief’s husband appointed to board of Landbank subsidiary MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed the husband of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo as board member of a subsidiary of Land Bank of the Philippines.

Roberto Teo was appointed board member of the Land Bank of the Philippines Leasing and Finance Corp. last June 2, documents released by Malacañang on Tuesday, June 6 showed.

According to LLFC, it was created primarily “to engage in leasing of all kinds of equipment, extend credit to industrial, commercial, agricultural and other enterprise and engage in financing of merchandise in all their various forms.”

Teo was chief of the Investments Promotions Center of Davao City, where Duterte served as mayor for more than 23 years.

He was also board member representing the travel and tours enterprises of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority during the Aquino admin-

PAGE A4 t

ber of the Home Development Mutual Fund - Leticia Damaso, board member of the Philippine Postal Savings Bank - Jaime Paz, board member of the Social Housing Finance Corp.

- Emiliano Reyes, board member of the Social Housing Finance Corp.

- Leonardo Lopez, board member of the Manila International Airport Authority - Ricardo Juliano, board member of the LBP Resources and Development Corp.

- Jennifer Yasol, prosecutor IV Roberto Teo of the National Prosecution Seristration. vice in Panabo City Tourism Secretary Teo is the - Annalyn Cuisia and Teresita sister of broadcasters Mon, Ben, Brazil, board of trustees members Raffy and Erwin. of the Land Bank Countryside DeAside from Roberto Teo, 12 oth- velopment Foundation Inc. ers were given new posts earlier - Conrado Miñano, board memthis month: ber of the LBP Leasing and Fi- Alex Roldan, director IV of the nance Corp.

Department of the Interior and Lo- Dimapuno Datu board member cal Government of the Light Rail Transit Authority - Pedrito Angeles, board mem- (Alexis Romero/Philstar.com)

Daylight on diabetes drugs...

federal funding for public health research, alongside Sanofi’s president of global research & development, Elias Zerhouni.

The Diabetes Hands Foundation expressed neutrality on the bill. “This state priority in Nevada is a good step towards a larger conversation about the costs of chronic care conditions like diabetes,” said the foundation’s director of advocacy, Mandy Jones. “But it’s hard to know the particular outcome of this particular bill in the U.S. market.”

JDRF International would not comment. DPAC deferred questions to the National Diabetes Volunteer Leadership Council.

Against the backdrop of silence from these patient advocacy groups, a community of diabetes patients on Twitter elevated the bill’s profile around the hashtag #insulin4all, created by T1International, a group in the United Kingdom that does not accept pharmaceutical donations.

“People feel frustrated. At the

federal level, we’re not being seen because there’s so much going on politically,” said Erin Gilmer, a Colorado advocate with Type 1 diabetes. “It might have to be a state-by-state movement.”

Sen. Yvanna Cancela, who sponsored the bill, said she believed requiring diabetes advocacy groups to reveal their sources of funding was key to understanding their positions and bringing prices down. “I believe there should be transparency across the health care system,” Cancela said.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said Monday night that he intends to sign the bill, according to a Nevada Independent reporter. If the governor takes no action, the transparency rules become law. The bill, SB539, incorporates provisions of an earlier bill approved by the legislature but vetoed by Sandoval. Sponsors stripped a controversial provision that would have required insulin manufacturers to warn patients 90 days before raising prices, which stoked concerns about drug stockpiling,

the Associated Press reported Monday.

The Nevada bill “is definitely a step in the right direction,” said Elizabeth Rowley, founder and director of T1International. “Almost anything requiring more transparency is incredibly important right now, especially at a time when almost all diabetes patient advocacy groups take funding from drug and device companies.”

Laura Marston, an advocate in Washington, D.C., with Type 1 diabetes, said that there is plenty of grass-roots support for legislation on insulin prices but that advocacy organizations are not listening to the right people.

“There should be more focus on the one thing we need to survive. … Without insulin, I die a horrendous death in 12 to 24 hours,” Marston said. “No grass-roots support? There’s desperation.”

KHN’s coverage of prescription drug development, costs and pricing is supported in part by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

PREPARATIONS. A worker of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) puts up Philippine flags along Quezon Ave. in Quezon City as part of preparations for the celebration of the country’s 119th year of independence on June 12.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Aguirre tags Trillanes, Aquino...

PAGE A2 t Trillanes, on the other hand, advised the justice secretary “to avoid getting his intel from facebook conspiracy theorists.”

“The incompetence of Aguirre is only matched by his stupidity,” Trillanes said.

He also denied involvement with the rebel group, adding that he hasn’t been in Marawi for years.

“For the record, I am not involved in any way with the Maute group or the Marawi incident.

Sec. Lorenzana said so himself. I also did not have any meeting in Marawi on May 2 since I haven’t visited Marawi for the past three years. But don’t take my word for it, simply check the Senate records for May 2,” Trillanes remarked.

For his part, Alejano said records can verify that on May 2, he was at a press conference with the House media, and later, in a plenary session.

He then slammed Aguirre, calling him a “peddler of lies.”

“This is a complete lie fabricated by no less than a secretary of justice who should be the first one to uphold truth in pursuit of justice in this country,” Alejano said. “He has become a purveyor of anything that is fake, a peddler of lies and a persecutor of people who does not agree with the policies of the Duterte administration.”

Media groups: Not misquoted Reporters covering Aguirre’s press conference also denied the justice secretary’s claim that the media “misquoted” him in their news reports.

“As recorded in our videos and voice recorder and even in our Facebook Live coverages, we quoted Sec. Aguirre verbatim and only reported the facts to our viewers and readers – including the fact that he showed a photo from his mobile phone supposedly showing the meeting between the senators and Muslim clans in Marawi last May 2,” the Justice and Court Reporters Association said in a statement.

The group added, “As responsible journalists, we also took the opportunity to perform our duty of verifying the counterchecking the information and photo that the Secretary has presented during the briefing, and found that several details and information were wrong.”

Likewise, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) refuted Aguirre’s claims.

“You lie when you claim you were ‘misquoted’ when you lied about the fictitious meeting between opposition politicians and prominent Marawi clans that you then attempted to portray as a prelude to the continuing battle between government forces and extremist gunmen,” NUJP said.

Insisting that there is no misquotation, NUJP noted that Aguirre’s statements were recorded on video and audio.

“We, the media will not be the scapegoats as you try to weasel your way out of your latest bout of foot-in-mouth disease,” NUJP stressed, calling Aguirre a “mean-spirited coward” for “trying to blame others for [his] blunders.”

A june 9-15, 2017 • neW YORK AnD neW jeRSeY ASIAn jOuRnAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

OpiniOn

Features

Bright spot

“THE Philippines is a beautiful country, and we intend to leverage on this strength to boost economic growth,” the Duterte administration stressed when it said that it intends to develop the tourism sector by drawing more than 12 million tourist arrivals by 2022, which is more than double the number recorded in 2015.

Based on the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2016-2022, an annual 10-percent growth rate in tourist arrivals will have to be met to reach this goal.

For this year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) aims to attract some 6.5 million in foreign visitor arrivals and 73.3 million domestic tourists.

These targets are higher than 10 percent from the projected 5.9 million in foreign tourists, and up 4 percent from the 70.5 million in domestic tourists in 2016.

As if this task is not enough, the tourism sector must now maneuver through a series of challenges brought by tensions inside (the controversial war against illegal drugs) and outside (the continuing issuance of travel advisories by the U.S. and other countries) its coastal areas.

In April, during one of the busiest travel seasons in the country, the U.S. warned its citizens against traveling to the central Philippines after receiving information that a terrorist organization was planning to kidnap tourists there. The American embassy in Manila said that based on their Worldwide

Caution, there was an ongoing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens in countries abroad, including the Philippines.

Earlier in May, the U.S. Embassy issued another travel advisory for their citizens who plan to visit the province of Palawan following information that terrorist groups may be planning to conduct kidnapping operations targeting foreign nationals in the area.

On May 24, it issued another advisory when the Marawi City crisis broke out and the declaration of martial law throughout Mindanao was declared. In an emergency message, the U.S. Embassy warned citizens of the crisis and announced the temporary suspension of its personnel to missions throughout Mindanao.

On Friday, June 2, the embassy yet again posted another travel warning, this time in Manila following a robbery attempt at Resorts World Manila in Pasay City. The incident left at least 37 people dead, including the lone suspect.

DOT Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo admitted that travel advisories make it difficult to promote tour-

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

ism, but she remains optimistic as she stresses that the government will intensify its campaign of “selling” the Philippines as a major tourist destination.

“We will double our efforts,” Teo vowed.

Teeming with natural resources, renowned cultural heritage, and the warmth and all-encompass-

ing nature of its people, the country is still sure to attract and reward its visitors.

With the ongoing assertive and collaborative efforts of its travel sector and national government, increased patronage for its islands is not far behind.

(AJPress)

Trump’s decision on climate change: A matter of fact-based principles or the dictate of politics?

WHAT was President Donald Trump The Fil-Am really thinking when he withdrew the Perspective United States’ commitment to the Paris agreement on climate change?

Gel SantoS-ReloS He said his reasons were economic — to bring jobs back to American workers, whom he said were affected by the regulations that killed the jobs of coal miners in favor clean and renewable energy sources.

“As of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the nonbinding Paris accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country,” Trump announced on June 1.

But economists, business and community leaders, and CEOs have disputed this argument and have been advising Trump that these regulations that stir the country toward clean and renewable energy has in fact inspired and encouraged innovation and inventions that have added more jobs, and has made America a leader toward pro-

tecting planet earth.

Trump argued that he withdrew the U.S. out of the Paris accord because it was a bad deal for America.

“The Paris climate accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States, to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers, who I love, and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories and vastly diminished economic production,” he said.

This has been debunked by facts.

According to the New York Times, “industrialized countries have voluntarily pledged $10.3 billion since 2013 to help poorer nations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the effects of climate change. The United States has pledged by far the most — $3 billion, twice that of the second-largest pledger, Japan. But on a per-capita basis, many other countries have offered more than the United States. Swedes,

for example, will contribute nearly $60 each.”

The newspaper further explained that “if the United States contributed its full pledge, the total would be a little less than $10 per American. With Mr. Trump stopping payments, the United States will have contributed $1 billion, or just more than $3 per person.”

This is shameful, and even immoral especially because the United States is among the world’s top polluters. “The United States, with its love of big cars, big houses and blasting air-conditioners, has contributed more than any other country to the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is scorching the planet,” the NYTimes reported.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “in 2014, the top carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters were China, the United States, the European Union, India, the Russian Federation, and Japan. These data include CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion, as well as cement manufacturing and gas flaring. Together, these sources represent a large proportion of total global CO2 emissions.”

During former President Barack

Obama’s term, he was able to convince China and India to be part of the Paris accord. No one nation can do it alone.

It takes the whole planet, especially the biggest polluters, to work together to solve these problems because we all share the same planet together. With the U.S.’ exit, it now joins the league of Syria and Nicaragua as the only countries not on board in the Paris Accord.

So having said these, does Trump even believe in science and the studies that prove climate change is real?

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), “Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position.”

NASA has published compelling evidence for rapid climate change: sea level rise, global temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, declining Arctic Sea ice, glacial retreat, extreme events — the number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number

of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed the increasing numbers of intense rainfall events, acidification of oceans, decreased snow cover, etc. Trump does not believe in these enough to compel him to act on it?

Or could it be that what matters to Trump and all that he could grasp is the here and now without regard to the future? Is he thinking like a traditional capitalist who will push to make profits even at the expense of our environment and the planet we will leave to the next generation?

Or could the political analysts be right that Trump decided to abandon the U.S.’ commitment to the Paris accord for political reasons? Does he want to score points with his base by proving he can fulfill his campaign promise without regard to facts, reason and moral obligation? *** 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

Legarda: Life goes on without Trump

From The Stands Domini m. toRRevillaS SEN. Loren Legarda slammed American president Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

“By this withdrawal, the United States has turned its back on the future. It puts a spotlight on a belligerent leadership that refuses to heed the voices of people, including his own, who are gravely threatened by the perils of climate change and global warming,” she told media persons at the Pan de Sal forum of Kamuning Bakery and Café Monday, June 5.

Monday being World Environment Day, the chair of the Senate committee on climate change, finance and foreign relations, said it was “ironic that there are people, leaders like Mr. Trump, who are disconnected with nature, disconnected with the reality that climate change not only endangers the future but is actually a threat to our survival now.”

It has taken many years for the Paris Agreement, or Paris Climate Accord to be adopted by consensus on Dec. 12, 2015. The agreement deals with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.

As of June 2017, 195 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have signed the agree-

ment. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who had initially tarried on giving his nod, ratified it, to many environmentalists’ relief.

Only two countries refuse to ratify it, Syria and Nicaragua.

Article 2 of the accord enhances the implementation of the UNFCC by, among others, “Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change,” and increasing “the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production.”

Countries, according to the agreement, aim to reach “global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.” The agreement has been described as “an incentive for and driver of fossil fuel divestment.”

The Paris deal is the world’s first comprehensive climate agreement.

In short, the agreement calls for countries’ cutting down on emissions emanating from the use of fossil fuels, including coal, and adopting alternative sources of energy.

Trump sees the agreement as disadvantageous to the U.S. economy and “a massive redistribution of United States wealth to other countries.”

At the Kamuning Bakery forum, Legarda nixed Trump’s suggestion that the Paris accord be amended to give the US fair treatment. No way, she said; global leaders have labored over the agreement for decades, and no one man can change it to meet his demands.

The senator echoes former US. Secretary of State John Kerry’s dismay over Trump’s decision.

He has been quoted as saying, “For a president to follow that historic step forward by unilaterally walking backwards from science and backwards from leadership on behalf of polluters and fringe ideologues may be the most selfdefeating action in American history.”

An architect of the Paris climate accord, Kerry said, “America has unilaterally ceded global leadership on this issue, which for years even Republican presidents. . . pushed in this direction.” He called to mind former president Barack Obama’s use of his executive power to enter into the agreement, rather than seek its ratification by the US Senate.

I thought Trump’s decision hit former US Vice-President Al Gore with a hammer. Mr. Gore and Senator Legarda have appeared in fora held in Manila and other venues; he is a champion of environmental causes. Kerry said Gore had tried to persuade Trump to keep the US in the agreement.

Senator Legarda felt appalled about climate deniers, “even with the evident effects of climate change already happening all

over the world.”

She said that sea level rise as a result of global warming is threatening to submerge small island nations like Kiribati, Marshall Islands and the Maldives. Around 20 percent of the global population, or approximately 1.3 billion people live in areas that may be directly affected by sea level rise.

In the Philippines, at risk are 64 coastal provinces, 822 coastal municipalities, 25 major coastal cities and approximately 13.6 million Filipinos that need to be relocated away from danger zones.

Legarda said that ocean acidification is causing irreversible damage to coral reefs. With global warming of up to 2˚C, 98 percent of coral reefs will die by 2050. A World Bank study shows that this would cause decrease in marine fish capture by about 50 percent in the southern Philippines by the year 2050.

Extreme weather events have brought so much destruction and claimed so many lives. She mentioned the wrath of typhoons in the Philippines, the killer floods in cities, the most devastating disasters that hit the U.S. “If there is a silver lining following this announcement from Mr. Trump, it is the re-affirmation issued by other responsible leaders on their commitment to keep fighting against global warming.

We applaud this honorable gesture.”

So many legislators and industrial leaders in the United States and other countries have expressed displeasure over Trump’s

Sen. Loren Legarda

exit from climate change responsibilities. The governors of a number of states in the U.S. said they will pursue their own programs to mitigate climate change.

Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger took the first jab by his concern about Trump’s departure from the Paris climate agreement. “One man cannot destroy our progress,” he told ATTN, an issues-driven media company. “One man can’t stop our clean energy revolution. And one man can’t go back in time – only I can do that.”

(Here Schwarzennegger is citing his Terminator role.)

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft Corp., said in a lengthy statement Thursday that the technology giant was “disappointed” with Trump’s decision.

“We believe that continued U.S. participation benefits U.S. businesses and the economy in important and multiple ways,”

he said. “We remain steadfastly committed to the sustainability, carbon and energy goals that we have set as a company and to the Paris Agreement’s ultimate success. Our experience shows us that these investments and innovations are good for our planet, our company, our customers and the economy.”

Twitter Inc. chief executive Jack Dorsey called Trump’s decision to pull the out of the Paris agreement an “incredibly shortsighted move backwards by the federal government.”

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey told a crowd that Trump’s decision could actually hurt American jobs in a growing clean energy sector.

Saving the planet is the major concern of right-thinking individuals, and that goes for you and me as we heed Senator Legarda’s advice that we practice good climate change habits. (Philstar.com)

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

ADVeRTISInG AnD ADVeRTORIAL POLICIeS ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Publisher & Chairman of the Board

Main Office: 1210 S. Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 Fax: (818) 502-0858 • (213) 481-0854 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com northern California: 1799 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 136 Burlingame CA 94010 Tel.: (650) 616-4150 • Fax: (650) 239-9253

Manila Office: 2nd Floor units D&e, Fort Palm Springs 30th Street, Cor. 1st Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Tel.: (632) 856-4921 • Fax: (632) 856-1661 new York and new jersey: 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, nY 11354 Tel.: (212) 655-5426 • Fax (818) 502-0858 2500 Plaza S. Harborside Financial Center, jersey City, nj 07311 Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858

Las Vegas Sales Office: 2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 200 Las Vegas, nV 89109 Tel.: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879

CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President

ELIZABETH HILARIO SISON Chief Financial Officer MOMAR G. VISAYA Executive Editor and Editor-in-Chief New York/New Jersey Asian Journal

Asian journal Publications, Inc. (“AjPI”) reserves the right to refuse to publish, in its sole and absolute discretion, any advertising and advertorial material submitted for publication by client. (“Client’s Material”) Submission of an advertisement or advertorial to an AjPI sales representative does not constitute a commitment by AjPI to publish a Client’s Material. AjPI has the option to correctly classify any Client’s Material and to delete objectionable words or phrases.

Client represents and warrants that a Client’s Material does not and will not contain any language or material which is libelous, slanderous or defamatory or invades any rights of privacy or publicity; does not and will not violate or infringe upon, or give rise to any adverse claim with respect to any common law or other right whatsoever (including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, service mark or contract right) of any person or entity, or violate any other applicable law; and is not the subject of any litigation or claim that might give rise to any litigation.

Publication of a Client’s Material does not constitute an a greement to continue publication.

Client agrees and covenants to indemnify AjPI and its officers against any and all loss, liability, damage, expenses, cost, charges, claims, actions, causes of action, recoveries, judgments, penalties, including outside attorneys’ fees (individually and collectively “Claims”) which AjPI may suffer by reason of (1) Client’s breach of any of the representations, warranties and agreements herein or (2) any Claims by any third party relating in any way to Client’s Material.

AjPI will not be liable for failure to publish any Client’s Material as requested or for more than one incorrect insertion of a Client’s Material. In the event of an error, or omission in printing or publication of a Client’s Material, AjPI shall be limited to an adjustment for the space occupied by the error, with maximum liability being cancellation of the cost of the first incorrect advertisement or republication of the correct advertisement. under no circumstances shall Asian Publications, Inc. be liable for consequential damages of any kind.

ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC. publishes the Los Angeles Asian Journal, published twice a week; the Orange County and Inland Empire Asian Journal, Northern California Asian Journal, Las Vegas Asian Journal and the New York / New Jersey Asian Journal which are published once a week and distributed to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange Counties, Northern California, Las Vegas and New York and New Jersey respectively.

Articles published in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. Letters to the Editor are welcome. Letters must contain complete name and return address. The materials, however, are subject to editing and revisions.

Contributions and advertising deadlines are every Mondays and Thursdays. For advertising rates and other informations, please call the L.A. office at (213) 250-9797 or the Las Vegas Sales Office at (702) 792-6678 or send us an email at info@asianjournalinc.com

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline PhiliPPines

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 9-15, 2017

A

NEDA-ICC approves Mindanao Railway, 3 infra projects for approval THe national economic and Development Authority (neDA) Board’s Investment Coordination Committee (ICC), in its joint ICC-Technical Board and Cabinet Committee meeting on June 1, 2017, approved the Mindanao Railway Project’s (MRP) TagumDavao-Digos (MRP-TDD) segment and two other rail projects of the Department of Transportation (DoTr).

In approving these projects, the ICC advised DoTr to coordinate with the neDA Secretariat to complete the ICC approval requisites. The ICC also approved an integrated flood risk management project in Cavite. These will all be elevated to the neDA Board for confirmation of the ICC approval.

The MRP-TDD aims to provide a more efficient, reliable, and affordable transportation to boost tourism, industry, and overall economic development in the area by connecting existing and emerging growth centers in the Davao Region.

It will form the first phase of

the proposed 830-kilometer MRP loop, involving a 102.28-kilometer commuter railway that will run from Tagum City, Davao del norte, to Digos City, Davao del Sur, with 7 stations, one terminal in Davao City, and one depot in Tagum City.

The estimated project cost is PhP35.26 billion and will be locally financed.

If confirmed by the neDA Board, project construction is targeted to begin in the first quarter of 2018 and is expected to be finished by the third quarter of 2022.

Meanwhile, the ICC also approved the north South Railway Projects (nSRP) - South line, which will revive the Philippine national Railways (PnR) south railway.

It has an estimated project cost of PhP285 billion and will be financed through official Development Assistance (oDA).

The nSRP-South line will consist of three tracks that will run from Tutuban to los Baños for

the commuter line (72 km), and los Baños to Sorsogon for the long haul (581 km), terminating at the Port of Manila—via FTI in Taguig—through the connecting third track.

The Malolos-Clark Railway Project (MCRP) was likewise approved, which will be connecting with the ongoing Tutuban-Malolos portion of the north South Commuter Railway.

The MCRP will run from Malolos, Bulacan, to Clark International Airport (Phase I), and from Clark International Airport to Clark Green City (Phase II).

The project has an estimated cost of PhP211.43 billion. Construction will be financed through oDA, while the operations and maintenance will be through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

The construction for Phase I will begin on the 2nd Quarter of 2019 and is expected to be completed by the 2nd Quarter of 2022.

Phase II will be implemented from 2022 to 2024. lastly, the ICC approved the

Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project that will mitigate flooding of 45,000 homes due to the overflowing water from the San Juan River, ylang-ylang River, and Rio Grande River, and the poor drainage of Maalimango Creek.

The project has an estimated project cost of PhP9.89 billion.

Construction is targeted to begin in october 2019 and is expected to be completed by April 2024.

In addition to the infrastructure projects approved by the ICC, the ICC also approved a two-year extension of the oPeC Fund for International Development loan for the for the Road Improvement and Institutional Development Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, as well as noted updates provided on the ongoing review of various roads and bridges, public transport, irrigation, and flood control projects.

The neDA Board, chaired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, is expected to convene again within June 2017.

Woman finds P12.4-B in BPI check account

by Doris

Dumlao-abaDilla Inquirer.net

JoCelyn Reyes was shocked and surprised early on Wednesday, June 7 when her Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) checking account in Makati City showed she had become a multibillionaire.

Her money ballooned to over P12.4 billion overnight. Reyes (not her real name) said she and her husband, despite losing P20,000 from his personal account, just laughed at their instant “fortune.”

But as a bank employee herself, she and her husband won’t touch the money, she said.

Many others were not so “fortunate,” like 49-year-old chef Vic Sanchez, who lost P17,000.

Sanchez had planned to withdraw money for his mother’s hospitalization, when one of his BPI accounts—a payroll account—showed two unauthorized withdrawals.

By the time Sanchez checked another BPI account, the online banking service had been suspended.

Reyes and Sanchez were among a “small portion” of BPI’s more than 8 million clients whose account balances showed sudden

increases or reductions due to unauthorized transactions, said BPI senior vice president Cathy Santamaria.

Santamaria blamed a “technical glitch,” or “internal data processing error.”

“For those who have received extra money, please don’t touch the account. It will be removed,” Santamaria said. “It’s not bonus money.”

Santamaria rebutted speculations that the 166-year-old bank was a victim of “hacking” or a “scam.” “let me emphasize that it has nothing to do with that. We at BPI have the highest security standards and we make sure that all our processes are of the highest level,” she said.

The Ayala-led bank apologized for the inconvenience caused by the error, vowed full resolution within the day and assured that no client would lose money as a result of the glitch.

All of BPI’s electronic banking channels—including automated teller machines, mobile and webbased platforms—were taken offline while the bank tried to fix the problem.

Santamaria said most of those affected were clients who had

SWIMMING FOR PEACE. Pinoy Aquaman Ingemar Macarine celebrates the completion of his 7-hour, 23-kilometer swim from Camiguin to Misamis Oriental on Sunday, June 4. Macarine made the long-distance swim as his way of promoting peace in Mindanao.

Inquirer.net photo by Leo Udtohan

Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) was hit by a technical glitch on Wednesday, June 7, with clients complaining of their balances being wiped out or going negative. The country’s third largest lender blamed an error in internal data processing for unauthorized transactions in its clients’ accounts, and assured the public that its systems were not hacked.

peso or foreign currency deposit unit (FCDU) account transactions between April 27 to May 2 this year. There were cases of transactions being double-posted as of June 6, resulting in erroneous balances.

“What happened is there are clients—so it’s not true to all BPI clients as it affected only some—there are clients with accounts which had been debited, which means it looked like they got withdrawn or the balances declined or turned negative, and we have clients which had

double crediting, and that means that these clients will see in their account more money than what they have,” Santamaria said.

Santamaria hinted that human error might have been a factor.

“Someone must have touched something,” she said.

She said a hacking would have involved an external party, which would be traceable, but there was none.

The bank’s security firewalls were not breached, she added.

“I can smile … look straight into your eyes and say honestly,

there’s none,” she said.

Depositors upset For writer and business owner Regina layug Rosero, the glitch wasn’t something to smile about after she lost P7,000 from her savings account.

“I was very upset,” Rosero told the Inquirer. “That money was supposed to go to my son’s healthcare, and now it’s gone!”

Dacery Santos, a 24-year-old financial assistant at an insurance company in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, was worried that she could not check her account balance online.

“I hope they immediately resolve the issue because I only have P100 cash left in my wallet,” she added. other customers vented their frustrations through social media.

Tweets “I had 3 unauthorize atm withdrawals! What the heck! I don’t have any money left on my Personal acct!!” tweeted a customer named Belle.

“They didn’t only take my savings, I am now in debt,” a post in Filipino by iamem-em read on a BPI Twitter page.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pili-

pinas (BSP) will investigate the reported glitch “as soon as the dust settles and the customers are made whole,” incoming BSP Gov. nestor A. espenilla Jr. said in a text message.

Calls for investigation Senators Grace Poe and Francis escudero also called for an investigation of the unauthorized transactions.

Pia Bernadette Roman-Tayag, head of the BSP’s financial consumer protection department, told reporters it was still premature to talk about the possible sanctions against BPI before an investigation was completed.

The BSP monitored no heavy cash withdrawals from BPI customers, Tayag said.

Despite the glitch and numerous customer complaints, BPI shares were up by 1.23 percent on Wednesday against the backdrop of an overall upbeat stock market.

BPI, one of the country’s biggest banks, posted a P22.1-billion income in 2016, up 20.9 percent from a year ago. It reported a 12.2-percent increase in deposits to P1.43 trillion and assets of P1.73 trillion, up 13.8 percent from 2015 levels. n

A june 9-15, 2017 • neW YORK AnD neW jeRSeY ASIAn jOuRnAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

people events arts culture entertainment

june 9-15, 2017

†Ü¯†ÅºÊåÙņ¿Ö咿¯“†â¯ÊÅÜ

dž†Ü¯†ÅºÊåÙņ¿“ÊÄ

dž†Ü¯†ÅºÊåÙņ¿

XXX BTJBOKPVSOBM DPN -PT "OHFMFT LJ -BT 7FHBT LJ 0SBOHF $PVOUZ *OMBOE &NQJSF LJ /PSUIFSO $BMJGPSOJB LJ /FX :PSL /FX +FSTFZ

Photos by troi santos and boyet Loverita for the asian JournaL

An Asian Journal Magazine

2

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 9, 20 1 7

Filipinos Take over Madison avenue To CelebraTe pH independenCe

Inquirer.net photo

119th PhILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY

Once a year – every first Sunday of June to be exact – Filipinos from across the northeastern United States gather along the stretch of Madison avenue in new york city for the annual commemoration of the declaration of Philippine independence, making it the largest Philippine Independence Day Parade outside the Philippines.

Over the weekend, the celebration successfully took place in the heart of new york city on Sunday, June 4, ushering the month-long celebration of Filipinos in the area.

The annual Philippine Independence Day Parade organized by the Philippine Independence Day council Inc. (PIDcI) once again drew crowds of Filipinos and non-Filipinos to witness colorful floats, marchers, bands, community organizations, and special guests and performers.

Over 100 Filipino-american associations throughout the US northeast region covering 10 states participated in the parade and festival, as well as special guest performers such as Martin nievera, Lani Misalucha, Jessica Sanchez, Mikey Bustos, christine allado, Shane ericks, and northeast-based cultural groups.

Miss Philippines World 2014 Valerie Weigmann also graced the occasion.

Highlighting the parade this year were three Filipinas who won their respective competitions and brought honor to Filipinos across the diaspora: Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa and Miss World 2013 Megan young.

The beauty queens and other special guests all took part in promoting Philippine tourism and culture throughout the day’s events in keeping with the parade theme of “retracing our roots, Weaving our Identity, and celebrating Filipino greatness.” new york and Philippine officials including new york Power authority President and ceO Gil Quinones, Judge Lorna Schofield, Philippine ambassador to the United nations Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Tourism Promotions Board chief Operating Officer cesar Montano, and consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega, councilman Salvador Deauna, and councilman Jonathan Wong all took part in the parade.

Mr. Quinones also presented the consulate General and the PIDcI with copies of a resolution and letter from new york Governor andrew cuomo commemorating Philippine Independence Day. new york

A celebration of progress through peace and freedom

Photos by Troi Santos and Boy Loverita

PIDCI Pres. Prospero A. Lim Martin Nievera Teddy Locsin Jr. Cesar Montano

Mayor Bill de Blasio likewise issued a proclamation honoring Philippine Independence Day. Marchers and floats participated in the lively parade that stretched for 11 blocks along Madison avenue. cebuanos engaging in Building Unity, Inc. (ceBU) bagged the grnd prize in both Marchers and Floats category. Bacolod city Masskara ny edition and Barangay Gingoognons in the United States of america got the first and second runner-up award for marchers, respectively. Filipino Social club and the Filipino apostolate of St. Patrick’s church of Long Island city won the first and second runner-up award for floats, respectively.

There was also a Philippine Street Fair and cultural Show on 26th Street, beside Madison Square Park. Various Filipinoamerican groups, restaurants, and stores took part in the Street Fair which featured Philippine cuisine, products, and also services for the community.

Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, Miss World 2013 Megan Young and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach

Other major participants in the fair included the nBa’s Brooklyn nets, which set up a basketball area to the delight of basketball-loving Filipinos and Filipino-americans.

The cultural Show drew crowds in the afternoon and featured messages and performances from the parade

special guests and Filipinoamerican talents based in the US northeast.

Prior to the parade, a Flagraising ceremony and Mass organized by the Philippine consulate General and the PIDcI took place at the Philippine center in new york. (Momar G. Visaya/AJPress)

THe Philippines will celebrate its 119th Independence Day to commemorate its independence from colonial Spain. also known as “araw ng Kasarinlan” or “araw ng Kalayaan,” it is an annual national holiday in the country observed every June 12. The theme for this year is “Kalayaan 2017: Pagbabagong Sama-Samang Balikatin.”

Background and history Originally, Philippine Independence Day wasn’t celebrated on June 12. From 1946 to 1964, the date designated for it was July 4, the day when the americans formally ended their colonization of the Philippines in 1946. This also officially ended the commonwealth government they established in 1935. Then in august 4, 1964, thenPresident Diosdado Macapagal signed republic act 4166 that moved the date from July 4 to June 12.

The act legalized the holiday, which is based on the Declaration of Independence of June 12, 1898 by General emilio aguinaldo and Filipino revolutionary forces. The Philippine flag was raised and its national anthem was played for the first time in 1898. However, freedom from Spanish rule was not for long, because Spain and the United States did not acknowledge the declaration.

This was due to the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which ended the war between Spain and the U.S. Spain surrendered the Philippines to the U.S., resulting to a revolt of Filipinos against the latter. The Philippine revolution against the americans started in 1899 and achieved sovereignty on July 4, 1946, through the Treaty of Manila.

Philippine Independence Day is more than just having to wave a flag and organize celebrations. It is a reminder of the self-determination of Filipinos to exercise their right to liberty and independence. It is a legitimate assertion by the Philippine nation of its natural and inalienable claim to freedom and independence, which is an inherent right of every people, not dependent upon the will and discretion of another nation or government.

Some unknown facts about Philippine Independence Day apart from the Philippine flag and national anthem, a lot of Filipinos are not knowledgeable about Philippine Independence Day. Here are few facts that may surprise you: • The original Philippine flag hoisted by aguinaldo in Kawit was a sketch he personally submitted to Dona Marcela agoncillo (who was living in Hong Kong at the time). It took agoncillo (and two assistants) five days of hard work to finish the flag.

• The three stars in the flag does not represent Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao as most Filipinos think. It actually represents Luzon, Panay and Mindanao. Panay was part of the Proclamation of Independence in Kawit, cavite, referred to as “the archipelago’s three principal islands.”

• The original flag was lost somewhere in Pangasinan during the Filipino-american war.

• “Lupang Hinirang” was not the first national anthem but “Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan,” commissioned by national hero andres Bonifacio in 1987 and requested musician Julio nakpil to compose it. However, despite Bonifacio’s version of the anthem, aguinaldo still asked composer Julian Felipe to make our national anthem in 1898. (AJPress)

Kalusugan Coalition and Philippine Nurses Association NY pictured here with 2017 PIDCI President Dr Prospero Lim

Kalusugan Coalition reminds Pinoys to be heart healthy at the Philippine Independence Day Parade KaLUSUGan coalition’s (Kc) recently participated at the Philippine Independence Day Parade held at the Madison Square Park nyc on June 5, 2017. Kc’s Outreach to the Filipino american community was in cooperation with the Philipine nurses association ny (Pna ny) who handled the First aid services at the event and the Department of Health (DOH) with it’s Tuberculosis Outreach to Filipinos. Kc at the event diseminated heart health information about low salt diet, healthy eating and did blood pressure monitoring at the booth. Kc wants our Pinoy community to be healthier and to take care of their hearts.

Kalusugan coalition’s year 3 partnership with new york University center for the Study of asian american Health’s reacHFar Project in Fighting High Blood Pressure and cardiovascular Disease in asian american community is going strong. Our partners faith-based organizations: Seventh Day adventist Bayanihan church, elmhurst Baptist church and yeshua Worldwide Ministries are committed to offering healthy food during communal meals and blood pressure monitoring program called Keep on Track. Filipino restaurant partners: Payag restaurant, Tito rad’s and Kabayan restaurant all located in Woodside, Queens ny strive to modify menu to reduce salt intake to prevent hypertension among the Filipino community.

Kalusugan coalition, a multidisciplinary collaboration dedicated to creating a unified voice to improve the health of the Filipino american community in the new york/new Jersey area.

The Kalusugan coalition’s Philippine Parade Outreach was led by rebecca robinson - Program Manager, Pacita Valdellon - Program coordinator, Luis Pedron, communications and Kc volunteers: Diana Wong, roseanne Hernandez, Valentina D’ambrosio, rosemary adlaon, evelyn antero.

Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ

Who can benefit from the ‘Expanded Provisional Waiver’ rule for the 3/10 year bar?

ON July 29, 2016, the USCIS published its FINAL rule, expanding eligibility for a provisional waiver of the 3\10 year bar. The expanded provisional waiver now includes “all individuals who are statutorily eligible for the waiver of the unlawful presence ground of inadmissibility.” This includes people who have a spouse or parent who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder (called “qualifying relatives”), provided they demonstrate “extreme hardship” on those qualifying relatives, and the person has an approved petition with a current priority date (or their visa is “available”). Upon approval of the waiver, they may depart the U.S. for immigrant visa processing and interview at the U.S. Embassy in their home country, without being subject to the 3\10 year bar.

A provisional waiver could benefit people who are not eligible to adjust status in the U.S., such as: • Crewman (or jump ships), who do not have the benefit of Section 245(i); • People who entered the U.S. without inspection (EWI), but do not have the benefit of Section 245(i) or a close family member who is on active military duty or U.S. veteran; • People who entered the U.S. on a K-1 fiancée visa, but did not marry the U.S. citizen who petitioned them, but instead married a different U.S. citizen, or have another avenue for a green card, such as an approved employment based petition; and\or • People who are out of

status, do not have the benefit of Section 245(i), and no “immediate relative” spouse or parent.

Instead, they may have a spouse or parent who is a green card holder.

In all these cases, the person is ordinarily not eligible to receive a green card (adjust status) in the U.S., but instead must go back to their home country and apply for an immigrant visa at the U.S. Embassy, which could trigger the 3/10 year bar. However, before you jump on a plane for your home country, here are some FAQ’s about this regulation: • What is the 3/10 year bar?

The 3/10 year bar is a law, which basically states that anyone who is out of status in the U.S. for over 180 days, but less than a year, and then departs the U.S., is barred from returning to the US for 3 years.

Anyone who had been out of status for over one year, and then departs is barred from returning for 10 years. This 3/10 year bar is triggered only when the alien departs the U.S. • Who is eligible under the expanded provisional waiver process?

People eligible for the expanded provisional waiver could include: • “Immediate relatives” of US citizens (spouse, parent, child).

• People petitioned by an LPR (green card holder) spouse or parent, or even an employer, provided they have a “qualifying relative” who would suffer extreme hardship. For example, if you have a USC child over 21 years of age, and an LPR spouse or parent, you could be petitioned by your USC child

Immigration Corner

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAGlAyA I HAVE long predicted that the explosive issue of immigration

(which is faster), and qualify for an expanded provisional waiver by demonstrating extreme hardship on your LPR spouse or parent. Similarly, if you were petitioned by an employer and have an LPR parent, you could also qualify for the provisional waiver, by obtaining your immigrant visa through your employer’s petition and by demonstrating extreme hardship on your LPR parent.

• What are the benefits of the “provisional waiver” program?

This procedure would allow qualified aliens, with a U.S. citizen or LPR parent or spouse, to apply for a waiver of the 3/10 year bar, while still in the U.S., and before they depart the U.S. for immigrant visa processing overseas. If the waiver is granted, they would then depart the U.S. (with the approved waiver in hand), to be processed for their immigrant visa and return to the US as a green card holder!

• Would the provisional waiver process apply to other immigration violations or grounds of inadmissibility, such as fraud or a person entered the US under an assumed name?

No. This provisional waiver applies if the ONLY violation is “overstaying” or unlawful presence. If a person has other immigration violations, such as fraud (assumed name entry), criminal convictions, and the like, he or she is not eligible for a provisional waiver.

• If I’m being petitioned as an immediate relative, do I really need to depart the U.S.?

In many cases, people being petitioned as an “immediate Continued on Page 5

An Asian Journal Magazine

ABUSED AND ACCUSED WOMAN GETS THE ULTIMATE REDEMPTION IN HER GREEN CARD ON A BRAND NEW EPISODE OF “CITIZEN PINOY”.

Imagine being broken on the inside by your husband’s constant verbal abuse and then getting a signed confession from him saying that yours was never a real marriage. That’s the hellish nightmare that Evelyn (center) suffered from her former husband. That same confession jeopardized the petition by her current spouse, Glenn (left), for her.

Leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right) proved the allegations wrong and eventually delivered Evelyn’s ultimate redemption in the form of her green card on a brand new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” - on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

First she was abused, now she’s being accused of being in a fake marriage - on Citizen Pinoy THE law says that if a person is caught in a fake marriage, that’s automatically a lifetime ban. No future petition could ever be approved on their behalf. Not only did Evelyn’s former husband abuse her while they were still together, he also signed a confession saying that theirs was not a real marriage.

So now, USCIS is accusing her of being in a fixed marriage and her current husband’s petition for her is being denied.

Counting on other people’s kindness “Fish and visitors smell in three days.”

- Benjamin Franklin

will come to a head. The time has come. People are awake and have become fully aware of the seriously negative effects unmitigated and

unchecked illegal immigration can do to sovereign nations over the long term.

When the process of

3

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 9, 20 1 7

assimilation and integration into the fabric of host nations is non-existent, that nation begins to disintegrate and becomes divided into warring factions. The American founders’ noble concept of nation-building, Et Pluribus Unum, From Many One, is dead and gone.

Evelyn and her current husband sought the help of two other lawyers to no avail.

Then Evelyn remembered how impressed she was when a certain American lawyer helped her friend and neighbor Christopher de Leon obtain his citizenship. Upon consulting with the attorney, the troubled couple was convinced that Michael Gurfinkel was “The One.” Leading US immigration

attorney Michael Gurfinkel was able to prove the allegations wrong, which ultimately paved the way for a green card for Evelyn. This inspired the latter to appear on the program to help other abused women break free from their situation.

Catch the brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” –on Sunday 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 p.m. EST thru select cable/ satellite providers).

Immigration as an issue has been used by one political party over the course of the last five decades to put themselves in power. For nefarious reasons such as making sure that new citizens always voted their party, the borders have been made intentionally porous for many years by the powers that be, allowing

not only hundreds of thousands of undesirable migrants to populate the country but to also allow the drug cartels from the southern border to flourish and destroy many lives with opioid addiction.

Big business is guilty as sin as well. It has aided and abetted the situation. Multinationals and global Continued on Page 4

4

An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 9, 20 1 7

DOT: Philippine back-to-back hosting of Miss Universe possible by rosette adel Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Tourism said the back-toback hosting of Miss Universe is possible.

According to Tourism Undersecretary for Advocacy and Public Affairs, Kat De Castro, the Miss Universe organizers are arriving on Friday for a charity event featuring the candidates of the pageant’s 2016 edition.

She said they will discuss the possible renewed hosting contract of the Philippines.

“Ang maganda dito, sila mismo yung lumapit,” De Castro, who handles the Miss Universe event, said.

De Castro said the tourism department will come up with an announcement within the month.

Last January 30, the Miss Universe coronation night was held at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Prior to the main event, several

(From left) Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo, Cathy Garcia-Molina, Angel Locsin and Richard Gutierrez.

Screen grab from the official press conference video post of Star Creatives

‘La Luna Sangre’ all set for TV premiere

by Clarizel abanilla Inquirer.net

In this Jan. 30, 2017 file photo, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, then newly crowned Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere from France and businessman Chavit Singson, a patron of the Philippines’ hosting of the pageant poses before the members of the press.

Philstar.com photo by Efigenio Toledo IV

pre-pageant events were held in various destinations in the country.

Former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Chavit Singson, one of the major sponsors of Miss Universe 2016, last January said he is open to the possibility of staging the

international pageant in the country again. Singson said it is possible as he will be supported by government agencies.

For Miss Universe 2017, Philippines will be represented

by Binibining Pilipinas Universe Rachel Peters.

Counting on other people’s...

From Page 3

companies who hold no loyalty towards any nation have waged a war against borders and boundaries and the rule of law essentially to pad their bottom lines by exploiting cheap labor. history moves like a pendulum however. It is action and reaction.

The tide is turning, not only in America but worldwide. Yet it does not mean that immigration will stop altogether.

Legal, orderly immigration, the kind that shaped the nation largely for the better in the first half of the last century, will become the rule of the land. That is — for the time being, as long as sensible, honest adults are in charge of the levers of power. From the gusher that illegal mass migration once was, the movement will come down to

EMPLOYMENT

a trickle.

And so it stands to reason that for most new legal immigrants who have to run the gauntlet of scrutiny and vast amounts of paperwork from every part of the world for a period of time before they can come to America, they will have have to depend, for the first few weeks, months or years, on the kindness of others — friends, relatives and even strangers —until they can be on their own.

The first concern will be finding a place to live. Your circumstances depend on whether you are the first to come here to America as the trailblazing immigrant or you have some resources of your own and the blessings of well-entrenched relatives or friends who can give you a leg up on finding a place to live or just a place

to sleep or bunk down until you get your bearings straight.

For many, expediency will be the key. This means you will have to snatch up and make do with what is available at the moment as you try to see the fit and the practical considerations of time and distance of where you live and where you will be working for a considerable length of time.

This phase is important because you will see within a short time that although there is a mass transport system available in most American cities, the time spent in commuting to work, although not a very big deal in the beginning, should be a factor to consider for the long haul, whether or not you are commuting or eventually driving a car to work. Anything that costs you Continued on Page 6

EMPLOYMENT

SERVICES

The long wait is over.

ABS-CBN’s much-anticipated fantaserye, “La Luna Sangre”, will finally start airing on primetime TV this June 19. Top-billed by the love team of Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, the third installment to the fantasy franchise of “Lobo” (2008) and “Imortal” (2010) will be powered by an ensemble cast, made up of some of the brightest stars in local showbiz.

Besides the comeback of KathNiel on TV, the reunion of Angel Locsin and John Lloyd Cruz is also a major highlight of the fanstaserye. Locsin and Cruz were the lead stars of “Imortal” and gave life to the roles of Lia/Lyka and Mateo. however, Locsin and Cruz, despite playing leads in the previous installments, will only be featured in the new series for a limited time.

“I cannot tell for sure, I don’t want to spoil. Actually po nakakahinayang because si John Lloyd at Angel gusto nating mas makasama ng mas matagal eh, itong dalawang ito [Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla] eh kailangan namang ilabas din.

Panahon naman nila inililipat ang korona.” said series director Cathy Garcia-Molina at a press conference last night at the Dolphy Theater at ABS-CBN. (Of course, we want to be with John Lloyd [Cruz] and Angel [Locsin] longer in the show, but these two [Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla] have to be given

their time to shine, too. It’s time to pass on the crown.)

Unlike its predecessors that had heavy storylines, “La Luna Sangre”, will have a different flavor.

“May iba po siyang timpla, pinasukan po siya ng rom-com [romantic-comedy], hindi po siya super dark. There will be parts that are dark especially pag si Sandrino [Richard Gurtierrez] ‘yung pinaguusapan, but we tried as much as possible to be careful din po,” said Molina.

(It has a different mix, we injected rom-com elements.

It’s not super dark, except for the scenes involving Sandrino [Richard Gomez]. We tried as much as possible to be careful.)

KathNiel feels pressured In spite of leading a few of the biggest productions ever staged by ABS-CBN, KathNiel still feels pressured in doing “La Luna Sangre”.

“Siyempre bago sa amin ‘to, ‘yung action ‘to. More than ‘yung kaba ang tagal kasi namin inantay ‘to ni DJ [Daniel Padilla] dapat gagawin siya after “Got to

SERVICES

Believe” tapos na-adjust siya ng na-adjust. Naramdaman namin na perfect siya talaga this year na gawin siya kasi sa age namin, mas ready kami,” said Bernardo.

(Action is new to us. Setting aside the anxiousness, we waited so long for this. We should have done this after “Got to Believe” but the schedules had to be adjusted. We feel that now is the perfect year to do it because of of our age. We’re more ready now.)

As this is their first action project, the two have been training hard for their fight scenes. Padilla praised his leading lady for quickly learning most of the choreography, whereas Bernardo had been very much open to Padilla’s comments on her moves. They both underwent training for arnis, balisong and Filipino martial arts.

The “La Luna Sangre” cast includes Richard Gutierrez, Ina Raymundo, Randy Santiago, Gelli De Belen, Joross Gamboa, Isabelle Daza, Danita Paner, Romnick Sarmenta and Victor Neri, among others.

Health@Heart

Queries from readers

how does tobacco hurt the smoker?

PhiliP S. Chua, Besides the tissue irritation MD, FaCS, FPCS on the breathing pipes and lungs caused by the fumes and the What causes palpitation? various toxic chemicals in the Palpitation (pounding heart cigarette, tobacco also thickens beat, harder and faster than the blood, which makes the normal) could be due to extrinsic smoker (active or passive) more causes like ingestion of a stimulant prone to thrombosis (blood (coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolates, clot formation) in the arteries some medications, etc.) and/or and veins, and aggravates cigarette smoking, or due to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the intrinsic causes like coronary or artery). On top of this, smoking heart valve diseases. The person also speeds up the process of feels the heart thumping in the arteriosclerosis (especially the chest that could lead to some arteries of the heart and brain, degree of discomfort and anxiety. abdomen and legs). Smoking can When this happens regularly, also cause cancer of the breathing in spite of abstinence from the pipes and/or the lungs and cancers extrinsic causes listed above, in other organs in the body in prompt medical consultation is either gender. Stained teeth and recommended. fingers, smoker’s bad breath and a Do cellphone radiation household that smells like tobacco shields work? fumes are the most minor effects No, the so-called “radiation of smoking. shields” for cell phones do not are body moisturizing lotions work, and therefore are not safe? effective in protecting the user Yes, in general, hand and from radiation, reports the FTC in body lotions in the market are the United States. If anything at safe. The frequent (two or more all, this shield “lulls” the user to times a day) use of hand and body complacency and thus the user lotion is recommended because is subjected to a more prolonged our skin needs moisture to keep it radiation exposure because of comfortable, healthy and as young the false sense of security the looking as possible. Caution: some unsuspecting consumers will have. people may be allergic to some of While the association between these commercially available skin cell phone use and some type of moisturizers. brain tumors is still unclear, it is Can trauma to the breasts best to avoid and minimize any cause cancer? type of radiation exposure from Repeated trauma to the breast whatsoever source. To reduce has been implicated as a possible radiation exposure from cell etiology in the formation of cancer phones, we recommend the use of the breast among women. This one of the hands-free (bluetooth) could be in the form of biting, devices now commercially pinching, squeezing or rough available. manual manipulation. The breasts,

Who can benefit from...

From Page 3

relative” can still adjust status (obtain their green card), in the U.S. even if they are out of status, worked without authorization, or do not have the benefit of Section 245(i).

If a person is eligible to adjust status in the U.S., they should not even think of departing the U.S., which would trigger the 3/10 year bar. See an attorney, who can determine your eligibility to adjust status in the U.S., or if you even need to depart the US to obtain your green card.

In conclusion, if you think you are eligible under the expanded provisional waiver, you should definitely seek the advice of a reputable attorney, who can evaluate your circumstances and status, determine your eligibility for a provisional waiver, and assist in preparing and processing this provisional waiver application.

As you can see, only certain people would be eligible for this provisional waiver. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are

like the person, must be treated with care and tenderness.

Does diabetes cause blindness?

Most definitely, especially among persons whose diabetes is untreated, poorly treated or simply brittle and hard to treat. The blindness is due to what is termed diabetic retinopathy. A significant number of blindness in the world today is caused by diabetes.

Once the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is confirmed, prompt and appropriate therapy should be instituted. The diabetic should be disciplined enough to religiously follow the prescribed medical regimen if the complications of the disease, like blindness, leg gangrene, etc. are to be prevented.

Can hydrogen peroxide be used for gurgling?

Yes, hydrogen peroxide could be used for gurgling, but ask your dentist first since he/she knows your dental condition better and can advise you accordingly.

Hydrogen peroxide, together with sodium fluoride and other common ingredients (like triclosan) in toothpastes, help prevent tooth decay, gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), tartar and plaque formation, and halitosis (bad breath). Hydrogen peroxide is a substance that is incorporated in many toothpaste preparations in the market today.

Baking soda is another. In children, the anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis effectiveness of toothpastes is still not proven.

Does skin whitener work?

There are a few popular preparations of skin (“bleach”) whitener available in the market Continued on Page 7 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)

5

An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J U N E 9, 20 1 7

A night with the ‘Birit Queens’ San FranciSco

By Monet

Lu

TO keep up with my social life, while at the same time support our local artists, I spent one melodious Sunday watching the “Birit Queens” belt out a tune or two at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and it was phenomenal!

I confess that I am not into the “birit” fad otherwise known as your voice hitting the highest notes similar to that of a whistle. Think: Mariah Carey, Regine Velasquez or Lani Misalucha, but this concert was such a game changer for me. As expected though, the Birit Queens namely, Angeline Quinto, Jona, Morisette and Klarisse De Guzman were astounding. But what impressed me even more is how the entire event was so well coordinated.

May I just add also that the stylist or wardrobe manager did a great job dressing the singers.

Their gowns were stunning but not too flashy to the point of overshadowing the one wearing it.

Overall, it was wonderful experience for me. All four them are such amazing singers. I do have to say that out of all of them, Jona is my favorite. She can effortlessly switch her singing style. I feel that she sing as beautiful with or without belting the highest octave known to a human being.

I am looking forward to watching them again perform. As for those who want to know more about the Birit Queens, read on.

Angeline Quinto She is also known as “Queen of Teleserye Theme Songs.” After emerging as the “First Female Pop Superstar at the “Star Power: Sharon’s Search for the next Female Pop Superstar,” Angeline released her debut/self-titled album under Star Records.

Her concert bio says, “The album has 14 tracks including the original, alternate, radio, extended remix and minus-one versions of

Morisette Amon, Angeline Quinto, Jonalyn Viray and Klarisse de Guzman

‘Patuloy Ang Pangarap’, her winning contest piece in the 1st Search for the Next Female Pop Superstar. Her self-titled album topped the list of best-selling albums for both local and foreign artists. It is considered the best-selling album of the first quarter of 2011.”

Morissette Amon This Cebuana native made her Broadway debut in the Repertory Philippines’ Disney’s “Camp Rock: The Musical,” as the lead role of Mitchie Torres and the rest, as they say, is history.

Morissette later joined the first season of ABS-CBN’s singing competition, “The Voice of the Philippines.”

While she did not came home as the grand champion, she had much success in her singing career as a recording artist. She had released her first album, self-titled, “Morissette,” which won her New Female Recording Artist of the Year by the 7th PMPC Star Awards for Music. She also earned a regular spot in ABS-CBN’s Sunday afternoon musical variety show, “ASAP,” as well as recording theme songs to several popular drama series and movies.

Jona At an early age, Jona has already made a name for herself. She joined several singing competitions, and won as first grand champion of “Pinoy Pop Superstar.”

Jona then joined the trio girl group, La Diva, as lead vocalist. The group met much success, winning various music awards and earning

several hits.

She is now a mainstay on the ABS-CBN music variety program, “ASAP,” and has sung theme songs for several popular dramas on ABS-CBN. Klarisse de Guzman Her version of Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” paved the way for her to be discovered and compete with the big leagues.

After Klarisse put her singing career on hold to continue her studies, she graduated in 2010 with a degree in music production. Klarisse found herself still yearning to perform and compete.

She joined the first season of ABS-CBN’s “The Voice of the Philippines,” where she finished second. According to her online bio: “Klarisee continues to build her impressive resume with her self-titled debut album, local and overseas concerts, as well as her appearances on the ABS-CBN programs, ‘ASAP’ and ‘We Love OPM – The Celebrity Sing-Offs,’ where is she is a mainstay.” *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

6

An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 9, 20 1 7

Apl.de.ap joins other artists for Manchester tribute concert by amierielle

InTERnATIOnAL Filipino singer Apl.de.ap flaunted his Filipino pride by wearing Philippine flag-inspired merchandise at the “One Love Manchester” benefit concert.

Apl.de.ap wore Philippine flag-themed earpiece and necklace during his performance with his band group, Black Eyed Peas. The group, sans Fergie, performed their inspiring hit, “Where is the Love.”

Filipino netizens who watched the One Love Manchester concert lauded Apl for flaunting his Filipino blood.

The “One Love Manchester” concert on Sunday, June 4 in Manchester, is a benefit concert for the victims of Ariana Grande’s concert last May 23. The British Red Cross said it raised more then £10 million ($13 million) for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, created for those affected by the Manchester blast.

Artists perform for people of Manchester Pop star Grande showcased her love and support to the people of Manchester, England in the tribute concert.

Popular international artists such as Justin Bieber, Liam Gallagher, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry shared the stage with Grande to honor the 22

anna Bulan and rosette adel Philstar.com

victims who were killed and the dozens of people injured.

Grande graced the concert with emotional performances of her original songs. She also gave a rendition of “My Everything” along with the Parrs Wood High School Choir.

Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, took center stage to honor the “bravery” of the people of Manchester.

“This tragedy has made us all throw away our divides, our differences, our politics, our adult nature and look to our children.

Manchester, your bravery is our hope,” Braun said.

British band Mumford & Sons opened the concert with their hit “Timshel,” which was followed

by Manchester-based pop music group Take That’s uplifting performance of their original hits.

Former Take That member Robbie Williams reunited with the group to render an emotional performance of “Angels” which led concert-goers raise “For our Angels” signs.

Pharell Williams uplifted the crowd with a rendition of “Get Lucky” and “Happy,” which he collaborated with Miley Cyrus as she makes her first appearance in the concert.

Former One Direction member niall Horan treated the audience to two of his uplifting songs, following Cyrus’ soulful rendition of her latest hit “Inspired.”

“For me, the most important responsibility we have in this entire planet is to take care of one another, and look what we’re doing today and how amazing that is,” Cyrus told the crowd.

A brief pre-taped video of Stevie Wonder was shown as the singer performed “Love’s in need of Love Today.”

“I don’t care what ethnicity you are; what religion you are. Love really is the way. So anyone who tries to make anyone think that things of destruction have anything to do with God or Allah, they’re a liar.

Yes, I stand with you Manchester,” Wonder said in the video.

Performances by Perry, Bieber, Victoria Monet, Imogean Heap and Grande’s boyfriend Mac Miller followed. Liam Gallagher, former member of another Manchesterbased group Oasis, also graced the concert with a touching song performed with Coldplay.

Grande capped off the concert with “One Last Time” and her own version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” originally sung by Judy Garland.

With multiple gunshots fired in the direction of his ride, Bautista considers his encounter with an unidentified shooter his ‘most terrifying experience’ Photos from Mark Bautista’s Instagram account

Mark Bautista talks about ‘the most terrifying experience’ of his life

by Christina

alpad ManilaTimes.net

In the middle of his currently busy theater schedule, Mark Bautista’s routine in Seattle, Washington was interrupted by what he described as the “most terrifying experience” of his life.

On Tuesday afternoon, June 6, the singer-actor shared on his Instagram account @ iammarkbautista a series of photographs that showed a red car’s hood with multiple gunshots, police investigators and a black car apparently carrying a gunman.

“God, thank you for protecting us! This is the most terrifying moment I’ve ever experienced in my whole life,” Bautista posted.

As it turned out, Bautista was aboard an Uber car traversing Columbia City, when a man in another vehicle started shooting at their direction.

“That’s the exact photo of the gunman and his car in front of us. He was out in the sunroof holding two guns while firing them towards us,” Bautista continued.

The gunman’s photo was taken from his Uber ride’s dashboard camera.

Bautista is currently in Seattle for the staging of the rock musical “Here Lies Love,” which, according

to its show description, “retraces the meteoric rise to power and descent into infamy of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos.” He reprises the role of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, which he originally portrayed from 2014 to 2015, in the Here Lies Love’s first run in London.

Thankfully, the singer-actor and his Uber driver were unharmed but Bautista was nevertheless shaken with his first-hand experience of being a gunman’s target.

“I’m happy that we’re safe now but when I found out that our car was actually hit by a bullet where I was seated, I was literally shaking and my hands were cold. The picture of the gunman firing two guns right in front of us is still so clear to me,” Bautista wrote.

With news of violence hogging the headlines from different parts of the world, including the recent Resorts World Manila attack back home, Bautista pleaded with his followers to take care of one another.

“It could happen to anyone and anywhere. We’re indeed living in a crazy world. Be safe guys and take care of each other.”

The gunman’s identity and his reason for shooting Bautista and his Uber ride is still unknown. But in an interview with pep.ph, Bautista described the gunman as a young “black guy” holding two guns.

“nakita ko pa lumalabas mga bullets sa baril while firing,” the singer-actor added.

In a separate report by the community-specific news site Patch.com, the shooting broke out at around 7 pm of Monday night (US time) along Rainier Avenue, in the center of Columbia City’s busy commercial district.

Still according to the report, Bautista’s gunman was aboard a green Chrysler. After shooting Bautista’s Honda car, the gunman fled the scene but not without hitting a third car and injuring its driver. As of press time, the gunman remains at large.

Curiously, as of Wednesday, June 7, Bautista deleted his account of the incident. no explanation as to why the singer did so has surfaced as of press time.

Anthony Bourdain’s take on Filipino food by mJ

marfori

ManilaTimes.net

WORLD-renowned chef and foodie Anthony Bourdain visited the Philippines yet again, this time for the World Street Food Congress held at the Mall of Asia In this Sunday, June 4, 2017, handout photo provided by Dave Hogan for One Love Manchester, singers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Ariana Grande and concert grounds.

Manila Times had the Taboo perform at the One Love Manchester tribute concert in Manchester, northwestern England, Sunday, June 4, 2017. chance to chat with the “no Reservations” host last weekend where he excitedly shared that his upcoming Bourdain Market is set to open in new York City in 2019.

But what was even more exciting was his promise of including a truly Filipino dish.

“I will definitely include sisig!”

Bourdain intimated.

Why sisig? Bourdain says that the minced dish of pork’s head and liver will give Filipino cuisine the big break and will make it into a household name.

“It is the ultimate drinking food! With beer in particular, it is perfect! It fits right in the current pork-centric society. Americans and Europeans are now into the face, meat and snouts so it’s got all.”

He wishes that sisig would now replace balut as the first Filipino food that will come to mind to foreigners.

The American chef even

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ

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

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

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

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

Anthony Bourdain

offered constructive criticisms on how our cuisine should stop becoming so underrated, “I sense the lack of confidence.

Some cultures love to assimilate when they arrive and Filipino very quickly assimilated and

integrated with American culture… I sense the lack of security in promoting and trying to build it into a business … but it is good that in the last few years we have started seeing Filipino hipster food.”

Counting on other people’s...

From Page 4

unnecessary smidgens and chunks of time when played out over long periods of time detracts from the quality of your life overall. You could be doing something fun and easier on yourself, like sleeping for a half hour longer, if you have a short commute.

If you are bunking with friends and relatives, the likely places will be guest rooms, converted garages, back houses, lofts, attics and basements—just initially. Those who have some managerial background in the old home country have been able to find apartments rent free or at a reduced rate by applying as assistant manager, or even resident manager of an apartment complex on a part time basis while they keep their full time jobs.

The savings can be enormous because rent is and will continue to be the biggest expense for the immigrant. See if this is an option that you can explore. Your disadvantage is that you still do not have local experience. Yet there is always a chance that with persistence, creativity and tenacity, you can get a lucky break. When something is really necessary, one can always seek the grace to find a way. Just keep your hopes up.

Those with built-in, wellentrenched support systems (translation: a loose network of

earlier immigrants related by kinship or friendship) have an advantage. He is far ahead of the game although he probably won’t know or appreciate it until much later. The other kind—the pioneering, trailblazing immigrant however—will have to start from scratch and clutch on straws in the beginning as he fashions a new way of life for himself and for those yet to come.

The support given by relatively established friends and relatives enables the new arrival to transition to a new life relatively easily. In some cultures where blood or family ties are exceptionally strong, relatives and friends take it as a matter of course and make room and put out the welcome mat for the new arrival.

They can give him his first briefing about American life, e.g. how to use the phone, which bus routes to take, acceptable behavior, the first American English phrases that will get him through a typical day, what to watch out for, the 800 number, the 900 number, 411 and 911 — basic information that he is expected to know.

Consequently, cities with high density immigrant populations have more than the average number of members per household as they make do with whatever accommodations and living

arrangements that can be stretched to the limit. Some cities are stricter than others. Apartment managers can stipulate and enforce the number of occupants that they allow per unit.

In older, rundown neighborhoods, this may be loosely interpreted and at times, not strictly enforced. The newer apartments with cramped square footage and paper-thin walls usually enforce this stipulation more strictly. The new immigrant, unless he comes with enough initial financial resources to pay for his own apartment, usually bunks with supportive friends and relatives for a temporary period of time for the sake of expediency while he grapples with the challenges of being new in a strange place.

In due time, however, it is expected by the host family that the arrangement is temporary and that the new arrival finds his own place as soon as possible. The independence that he gains by being on his own can be liberating and the learning experience, much more enjoyable.

Good luck to the new immigrant on your new adventure! *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

7

An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 9, 20 1 7

Calendar of Events across

Pia Wurtzbach accused of ‘false story’ on MMK Late father’s live-in partner and son set off social media war; Pia’s sister reacts

by Iza IglesIas

yourself. Your mama had an affair with [a] neighbor named Jojo, that’s why papa abandoned your WHILE Miss Universe 2015 mother and you know that all,” Pia Wurtzbach’s life story on Asingua posted on her Facebook “Maalaala Mo Kaya” and Liza Soberano’s portrayal in the lead account.

Following the thread, both earned praises from the Asingua later confirmed that her public, it seems not everyone son Alexander and the beauty is rejoicing over the primetime queen share the same father. biography’s success.

Alexander, who also carries A couple of days after the the surname Wurtzbach, came episode aired, the partner and to his father’s defense too. He the son of the beauty queen’s late father Uwe Wurtzbach took even dared Pia to stop using their father’s surname if will only to social media accusing her continue to spread false stories of giving a false account of her about him.

German dad.

“Sa lahat-lahat, ayaw ko One of the scenes depicted yung sisiraan mo ang patay na Pia’s father leaving her Filipino mother because of his supposed wala nang kinalaman ‘yun eh.

Karmahin sana kayo, parang affair with another woman. The walang pinag-aralan. Wag mong next time they communicated dadalahin ang apelyedo na ‘yan was when Uwe called Pia and kung alam mo ganyan ugali ng congratulated her for winning tatay mo. ‘Kala ko ba babaero first runner-up in the 2013 siya at wala siyang kwenta. Bakit Binibining Pilipinas pageant. mahal mo pa rin siya? You’re Thereafter, Uwe’s second wife a freaking liar, don’t use my [whose name was not revealed in the TV show] apparently asked father’s surname if you don’t like Pia to help them financially since him, you’re a millionaire now, so change it! Don’t say your her dad was sick. money will help you. You are a Reacting to the chain of events in the program, a certain liar!” Alexander’s Facebook post read.

Robie Asingua, supposedly the While the beauty queen has last live-in partner of Uwe before his passing, branded the beauty not reacted to the social media queen “a big liar” on Facebook, brouhaha, Pia’s younger sister, Sarah Wurtzbach, chose to do adding that Pia’s father never so, angrily posting, “Baka gusto bothered to ask her for money. mong kalkalin ko yung mga Asingua went on to say that message niyo ng nanay mo sa contrary to the “other woman” story, it was Pia’s mother, Cheryl amin. Baka mapahiya ka. Tigil na kasi, ayan na, fame oh! Embrace Alonzo Tyndall, who allegedly it!” “got into an affair with a Sarah then answered a neighbor,” prompting Uwe to question from another netizen abandon them. who asked if she indeed “What a hell are you doing plans to gather proof against Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, making Robie and Alexander, saying, a false story? Oh yeah, you are a big liar. Your papa never asked “Mamshie hinahakot ko.

Naghahanap na. May baril ako for money from you, shame on

Liza Soberano portrayed the life of Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach in an episode of ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya.’

pero walang bala e.”

A source from Pia’s camp told online showbiz website Pep.ph that her father Uwe had pleaded with Pia to support the schooling of her half-brother Alexander when he was still alive.

“This was during the Binibini days. I’m sure not a lot of people know, but when you are first runner-up, wala ka ding pera from winnings ‘coz technically you don’t have a crown. So, Pia said she couldn’t help.”

The source went on to disclose that it was Sarah, who lives in the United Kingdom with her husband and daughter, who financially supported Pia in her early days joining beauty pageants which was why she was unable to help her dad when he was ill.

Pia just came from New York, and has yet to comment on the issue as of press time.

Arci Muñoz closes door on reconciliation with ex ranoa-BIsMark

ManilaTimes.net

UNLIKE before, when her doors remained open for a reconciliation with ex-boyfriend Badi del Rosario, Arci Munoz is sure she and her former love can no longer rekindle their four-year-romance.

“I’ve moved on. Everything has been said and done. I can see that he’s happy,” she said at the press con of Star Cinema’s “Can We Still Be Friends,” her second movie with Gerald Anderson (the first was last year’s hit movie “Always Be My Maybe”).

No, she has not asked around how her ex is doing. It is just that somehow, she knows he is happy where he is right now.

Arci admitted it was she who courted Badi, the way she did with all her exes. So, it is possible for her to bring food to Gerald’s set as her way of showing how much she cares, if he does not have Bea Alonzo for his girlfriend.

But since her leading man (their team-up is popularly called “Team Lablab”) is committed to someone else, Arci will not rock the boat.

Arci Munoz and Gerald Anderson star in “Can We Still Be Friends?”

The actress wants peace of mind, the kind that she said could come from being able to greet your ex with a sincere hello should you bump into him.

“You don’t have to be friends.

Queries from readers

From Page 5

today which are effective and safe. They are not cheap. One well-known brand costs about One Thousand Pesos for 2 ounces. The basic ingredient is 4 percent hydroquinone. The original use of it was to make skin blemishes (chloasma, melasma, freckles, senile lentigenes and other areas of melanin hyperpigmentation) disappear, but today cosmetologists, many dermatologists and some plastic surgeons, recommend it for the entire face as a “bleaching agent” to whiten the complexion. Those using this should stay away from sunlight to prevent skin burns.

One substance, whose side-effect is making the skin lighter, whiter, is glutathione. Before applying skin whitener, one must consult with his/her physician first because of potential allergy, side effects and possible complications of these items.

Can loud music lead to deafness?

Yes, and not only music.

Prolonged or repeated exposure to any type of very loud noise or sound can cause damage to the

auditory nerve damage, which could lead to varying degrees of hearing impairment, and even to permanent deafness. Headset users should set the volume of sound to a safe level. A simple way to do this is to turn the volume down until you can barely hear it, then gradually increasing the loudness (and adjusting the treble and the base if possible) to a comfortable level.

Can skin ointment be used for the eyes?

No, most definitely no. Skin lotions, creams, gel, ointments, and solutions, are for topical (external or skin) application only, and are not safe for the eyes. There are specific drops and ointments for the eyes. Never use any other preparation, except those prescribed by healthcare professionals specifically for the eyes, which are always labeled “Ophthalmic” or “For ophthalmic use.”

Does surgery make cancer spread?

No, this is a myth. Doing surgery or “opening the patient up” does not cause metastasis (spread) of the cancer. In general,

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 June 10

119th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day in Carson, CA

ManilaTimes.net

by MarIdol

America

You can just be casual with each other, and be able to say hi to him.

If you don’t, he might think you’ve become bitter (about the breakup).”

Arci is letting experience be her best teacher. After her ex asked her if they can still be friends, Arci decided to reject the offer.

“I still loved him. So, it’s best that we don’t see each other anymore at all,” she recalled.

Yes, she could be friends with an ex, but it will take time. The wounds must heal. The painful memories must slowly fade away.

Arci admitted “Can We Still Be Friends” (to open nationwide on Wednesday, June 14) is her story.

She can relate to Sam, the idealistic achiever whose character she portrays.

Suddenly, the past is back with a vengeance. Except that the relationship lasted for eight years in Sam and Digs’ (Gerald’s character) case.

Gerald, Arci, their fellow millennial co-stars, and director Prime Cruz (who helms the indie hit “Sleepless”), hope moviegoers will relate to it as well. cancer proliferates rapidly to invade surrounding tissues and distant organs. The misconception resulted from the refusal of patients suspected or confirmed to have cancer to be operated on early when first advised, and had delayed the surgery so much that the malignant tumor had already spread beyond help before acceding to have the operation.

So, when the surgeons operated on them that late, invariably the cancer had already spread all over.

When the patients soon expired, people blamed the surgery as the cause of the spread. Today, almost everybody knows that prompt detection and early operation in the treatment of cancer gives the best chance for a cure for majority of patients with malignancy. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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

Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

The Philippine Independence Day Foundation, Inc. (PIDF), in conjunction with the City of Carson, GMA Life TV, GMA Pinoy TV, GMA News TV, and Tesoro, will celebrate the 119th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day at the Carson Veterans Park (22400 Moneta Street, Carson, CA 90745) on Saturday, June 10. Thousands of people are expected to enjoy the non-stop, day-long event that will be jam-packed with entertainment and activities featuring the rich, beautiful, and spirited Filipino heritage. The eventful day kicks off with a flag raising ceremony at 7:30 a.m., followed by an ecumenical service and a community mass. The parade — to be headed by 119th Philippine Independence Grand Marshal, Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz of the Philippine Consulate General Los Angeles, and to be participated in by a multitude of community organizations and associations from all across Southern California — will be at about 10:00 a.m. This will be followed by the daylong program featuring talented performers from across the South Bay, Southern California, and beyond! The program will be headlined by none other than GMA Network Kapuso’s Primetime Queen Marian Rivera and Primetime King Dingdong Dantes! In addition to the live entertainment, cultural center, food booths, exhibits, vendors, PWC’s Jeepney, chess tournament, and children’s area, there will also be a bone marrow drive for Fil-Am LAPD Officer Matthew Medina. This event would not possible without the leadership of Councilmember Elito M. Santarina, the hard work of our dedicated PIDF Trustees and volunteers, and of course the generosity of our sponsors; Tesoro Refining and Marketing LLC, Waste Management, Carson Companies, KL Fenix, Watson Land, Community Dynamics, IBEW Local 11 &NECA Los Angeles, Nationwide Environmental Services, Brea Canon Oil Co., Inc., Leelin Bakery & Cafe, and Kellogg Garden Products.

For more information or any questions, please email pidf.info@gmail.com.

Take Charge of Your Health: Asian Health Fair Learn how to be healthy, active and live well with diabetes at the “Take Charge of Your Health: Asian Health Fair” on Saturday, June 10 (12pm-4pm) at the Sheraton Laguardia East Hotel )loc. 135-20 38th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354). The event will also include free health screenings, healthy cooking demonstrations, health information and presentations on nutrition and diabetes, Children activities, fitness activities, entertainment and giveaways.

For more information, call 1(212) 725-4925- ext. 3443 or visit diabetes.org.newyork.

June 11

Filipino Medical Program hosts community health screening in Passaic, NJ Holy Name Medical Center’s Filipino Medical Program will have a health screening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 11 at the Philippine Independence Day Festival in Passaic, New Jersey. It will be held at 3rd Ward Park, 350 Passaic Ave (cor. Van Houten), Passaic, NJ 07055. For more information, please call the FMP at (201) 833-3355 or email lavarro@ holyname.org.

June 16

Philippine Independence Day Concert & Gala in San Francisco A concert and gala reception will be held at the beautiful and historic Marines’ Memorial Theater in San Francisco on Friday, June 16. The annual Philippine Independence Day Concert & Gala has been a favorite event for Fil-Am political, business, arts, academic and non-profit circles, foreign dignitaries, state and city officials, and a wide cross-section of the Bay Area community. This year’s event will kick-off with a full-length concert at the Marines’ Memorial Theater featuring renowned Filipino music maestro, Ryan Cayabyab with seven of his highly-acclaimed and award-winning vocalists at 7 p.m. The gala reception will follow immediately after the concert at 8 p.m. at the adjacent Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel hall where guests will be welcomed by a beautiful Rigodon de Honor, a Filipino-Spanish quadrille folk dance, to be performed by consular officials and community leaders. Three beautiful ballrooms and reception areas will be open for guests to either sit with friends or mingle with the community. A sumptuous buffet dinner and bar will be served while guests are treated to exciting performances by featured artists.

Finally, a top DJ will be on hand to keep everyone dancing till midnight! Tickets are $125 / person. Marines’ Memorial Theater is located at 609 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94102.

For more information, please visit www.kalayaansf.com/gala or email gala@kalayaansf.com.

June 17

FASO to hold gala benefit in Los Angeles The Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), the only Filipino symphony orchestra outside of the Philippines, will hold “A Night of Symphony,” its first ever gala benefit dinner on Saturday, June 17 at the majestic estate of Hollywood legend Mary Pickford in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. The special evening will honor FASO’s first Excellence in Music awardees and distinguished contributors to the pioneering orchestra’s mission and objectives. The names of the honorees will be announced soon. Filipino chefs who are part of the movement that’s making Pinoy cuisine a worldwide sensation will prepare the sumptuous dinner. The exciting gala, sponsored by Bank of Hope, Pacific Western Bank and Silver Saddle Ranch & Club, will feature two parts. There will be a meet and greet for a limited number of guests, starting at 4:00 p.m., with a guest of honor, the awardees and other distinguished guests. The second part will be the main event – awards program and dinner – which will begin at 5:30 p.m. For inquiries, contact FASO board members Rocio Nuyda, the gala’s chairperson at 818-602-3214 or rocio@msn.com, or Jose Luis Garcia at 310-936-2988 or jl.garcia@aol.com. More details are also available at www.fasogala.org.

“Dancing for the World,” a fundraiser for the Columban Mission in Los Angeles Kalayaan Incorporated Southern California, with the cooperation of the Philippine Consulate GenDancing for the World is hosting an event on Saturday, June 17 to raise funds for the Columban missionaries all over the world. It will be held at the Friendship Auditorium (3201 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027) from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. The Columban missionaries help poor communities that need spiritual, material and organizational assistance. Priests and lay missionaries alike follow the examples of Jesus by witnessing and helping people, crossing boundaries of culture, language and dialogue with other religious beliefs. The dinner dance event ticket is at $40 and raffle ticket is at $2 each. If you buy a booklet of $20 raffle tickets, you can get 2 extra tickets. The more tickets you buy, the more chances of winning. First prize is a cruise for two along the Mexican Riviera; second prize is a Flat Screen TV and third prize is an iPad tablet. If you have anything to share for consolation prizes, we are also collecting. You can send it to this address: Dancing for the World (c/o Bernie Santos), 2912 Moss Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90065.For tickets and more information, you can contact Carmencita Enriquez at (213) 880-5075 or Ariel Presbitero at (323) 691-5262.

J u n e 25

“Musikahan! with Maestro Ryan Cayabyab” in Glendale, CA Come to the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 25 for an unforgettable performance! The Ryan Cayabyab Singers will be joined by local Fil-Am artists, including Giselle Tongi, Annie Nepomuceno, Miguel Vera, The Harana Men’s Chorus, Edsel Sotiangco, Michael Keith, the Los Angeles Young Ambassadors (LAYA), Josie Gonzalez, Louisa Tampi and more from the Pilipino Artist Network. Presented by Philippine Patrons of the Arts USA in cooperation with FilamARTS, tickets are available at the Alex Theatre box office and online links are posted on www.musicartsevents.com. Venue address is 216 North Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203.

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

8

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY JuNE 9, 2017