New York/New Jersey -- October 02 -- 08, 2015

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Volume 8 – Issue 52 • 16 Pages

o c t o be r 2 - 8 , 2 0 1 5 Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

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Pulse Asia: Binay ratings dive Double-digit drop expected, says Palace

by Jerry

e. esplanada and niña p. CalleJa Inquirer.net

the double-digit drop in Vice President Jejomar Binay’s trust and approval ratings in the latest Pulse Asia survey has something to do with his leaving the Cabinet of President Aquino and declaring himself leader of the opposition, malacañang said on thursday, oct. 1.

Communication secretary herminio Coloma Jr. noted that “this is the first survey where he is no longer a member of the Cabinet and has instead declared himself leader of the opposition.”

“It is reasonable to expect that the change in his status from Cabinet member to leader of the opposition is reflected in the public perception of perfor-

USA

DATELINE Police still on search for missing Daly City Fil-Am from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

the Daly City police are still searching for a filipino-American male who went missing last sunday, september 27.

Christian mayrena, 35, was supposed to meet his parents for dinner Christian Mayrena last sunday at their residence in Daly City, but never arrived. An audio/video engineer at facebook in menlo Park, his family thought that he was late because he had to work overtime. “from 8pm to about 9:30pm, we texted and called him but there was no reply,” said Lucy mayrena, Christian’s mother. “We assumed that he was just working overtime.” mrs. mayrena said that she and her husband, Cristobal, went home instead. “our daughter-in-law called at 1am and said my son was still wasn’t home and she was really worried because she hasn’t heard from him.”

PAGE A2

Asian immigrants likely to overtake Hispanics in US population ACCorDING to a new report by the Pew research Center, Asians are on track to become the largest population of immigrants in the United states. the study released on monday, sept. 28 also mentioned that the share of new hispanic arrivals is smaller than it was 50 years ago, and that the percentage of the whole Us immigrant population was higher in 1890 than it is today.

By 2065, Pew projects that there will be 441 million people living in the Us, and 88 percent of that growth will be attributed to future immigrants and their children. Asians are expected to outnumber hispanics, making up 38 percent of all immigrants. the nearly 130-page document--entitled “modern Immigration Wave Brings 59 million to Us, Driving Population Growth and Change through 2065”--provides “nonpartisan analysis that explores trends and projects the future,” and comes 50 years after the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, CNN reported. the act took away a quota system that once favored european immigrants, and replaced it with a policy that looked toward reuniting immigrant families and providing necessary employees. since the act’s passage, about 51 percent of PAGE A3

mance or satisfaction rating,” Coloma told reporters. the presidential candidate of the United Nationalist Alliance, Binay resigned from the Cabinet in June and started attacking the Aquino administration. he vacated his posts as presidential adviser on overseas filipino workers’ concerns and chair of the housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. the Vice President also let go of his positions as chair emeritus of the Inter-Agency Council against trafficking and head of the Presidential task force against Illegal recruitment.

Lowest level for VP from 57 percent in June, Binay’s trust rating PAGE A2

Binay: Presidential dream dates back to childhood by yuJi

VinCent Gonzales Inquirer.net

VICe President Jejomar Binay on thursday, oct. 1 said his dream to become the country’s next top leader dates back to his childhood days.

“Batang-bata pa ako naiisip ko na iyan, minsan minsan. Sa katotohanan, talagang nangangarap akong maging Pangulo ng bansa,” Binay said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Binay said his dream of becoming president was boosted when he was elected class officer in school, and as member of the student government in college.

PAGE A2

EMBATTLED. Despite a decline in approval ratings, Vice President Jejomar Binay still has eyes set on presidency in next year’s election. If he would be elected president in 2016, Binay said he would spend his first 100 days in office “uplifting the life of the Filipino people” by addressing unemployment and lowering income tax.

Inquirer.net photo

PH is ‘strongest emerging market’ by paolo

G. MonteCillo Inquirer.net

Construction of high-rise hotel and condominiums continues in Manila, Philippines and big cities in the country. Credit rater Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has tagged the Philippines as the world’s strongest major emerging market, citing its buffers that would insulate the economy from external shocks.

Inquirer.net photo

CreDIt rater standard & Poor’s (s&P) has tagged the Philippines as the world’s strongest major emerging market, citing its buffers that would insulate the economy from external shocks.

In a report this week, s&P said Asian economies in general were more resilient to adverse global trends than Latin American counterparts. Countries in the region are expected to fare well in the face of a slowdown in China, Asia’s biggest economy.

“Latin American sovereigns are, on average, more vulnerable than sovereigns in Asia,” s&P said. the Philippines will be the least affected

by worsening global conditions among all countries covered by the s&P report. the least-vulnerable sovereigns in s&P’s ranking are the Philippines, Poland and mexico, followed by Pakistan and hungary. these countries have low direct economic ties to China, low risk of domestic financial leverage, and are only moderately vulnerable to higher global interest rates.

Key risks to emerging markets, s&P said, are the tightening of global liquidity conditions as a result of the Us federal reserve’s awaited rate hike, unwinding of high levels of debt built up during years of loose monetary conditions, and China’s slowdown.

PAGE A2

US general vows to Marcos seeks Duterte’s ‘counsel’ immediately defend

Philippine sovereignty

by Jefry

M. tupas ManilaTimes.net

by alexis

roMero Philstar.com

mANILA—A United states military official on thursday, oct. 1 vowed to come to the aid of the Philippines “within a matter of hours” in the event that the sovereignty of its southeast Asian ally is challenged.

Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy, chief of the Us 3rd marine expeditionary Brigade, noted that the two counPAGE A3 Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Bongbong Marcos

DAVAo CItY—A day after mayor rodrigo Duterte met vice presidential aspirant sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, another rumored VP wannabe—sen. ferdinand marcos Jr—was in town to seek the mayor’s “wise counsel.”

Duterte and marcos met behind closed doors in a hotel on Wednesday, sept.

30.

the agenda? Politics. “obviously, we talked about politics,” marcos told reporters who waited until the meeting was over around midnight.

When asked separately, Duterte also said their meeting was all about politics.

“We talked about politics and chances of every PAGE A3

US Marine Brig.Gen. Paul Kennedy (center) Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Col. Nathaniel Casem of the Philippine Marines and Philippine Marine Maj.Gen. Alexander Balutan, Naval Director General, link arms following the opening ceremony of the joint US-Philippines amphibious landing exercise dubbed PHIBLEX 2015 at the Philippine Marine barracks at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City on Thursday, Oct. 1.

Waze: Manila has worst traffic on earth by ares

Gutierrez ManilaTimes

WAze—the GPs-based navigation application that tracks traffic flow in key cities worldwide—just validated what every motorist and commuter in manila know and bear each day. metro manila has the worst traffic on earth on a city level, followed by rio de Janeiro and sao Paulo in

Brazil, and Jakarta in Indonesia. the Netherlands, slovakia, sweden and Czech republic reported an easy and satisfying driving experience, as well as the United states and france. the results were reflected in Waze’s latest Global Driver satisfaction Index that it posted on its website on thursday, oct. 1.

Answers to the Global Driver satisfaction Index were collated

from 50 million Waze users in 32 countries and 167 metropolitan areas. the report said roads in the Philippines are the worst to drive on because of frequency and severity of traffic jams, poor road infrastructure, among other reasons. the Philippines got 0.4 in a 10-point grading system with 10 PAGE A2

A october 2-8, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL

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

From the Front Page

Pulse Asia: Binay ratings...

PAGE A1 plunged 18 points to 39 percent in September, his lowest level over the past 20 quarters.

His approval rating dropped to 43 percent, down 15 points from 58 percent in June.

The survey, which used faceto-face interviews with 2,400 respondents, was conducted from

Sept. 8 to 14. It had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points.

Coloma noted that previous surveys reflected the public’s opinion on Binay’s performance as a member of the Cabinet during the past five years.

‘Wrong question’ Binay wanted to know the questions asked in the Pulse Asia per-

formance and trust ratings survey.

“If it was a question of performance, that meant what have I done in those months. But it was a wrong question to ask,” he said in an interview on Thursday.

“How will you ask about my performance? I have no job (in the past few months),” he said.

Binay said he was working on his own initiative whenever overseas Filipino workers asked for his help. “But I am no longer with the NHA (National Housing Authority), Pag-Ibig and other key shelter agencies.”

Binay said that was the reason he was criticized by the Makati Business Club (MBC) when it said the Office of the Vice President was the worst-performing agency.

“But I had accomplished a lot of things at the time, especially with the Pag-Ibig.”

The MBC in its Executive Outlook Survey in the second semester of 2015 rated the Office of the Vice President as the worst-performing government agency.

Senate probe Binay’s camp also noted that during the Pulse Asia survey period, the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee ordered the arrest of 11 individuals due to their failure to attend hearings on the allegations of corruption against the Vice President.

At the same time, a Senate resource person claimed that several alleged dummy firms of Binay received most of the P5.6 billion worth of contracts for security, janitorial and IT services of the Makati City local government over the past decade.

Binay’s approval rating plunged across all geographical areas, posting double-digit declines in the Visayas (36 percent from 58 percent), the rest of Luzon (47 percent from 62 percent), Mindanao (44 percent from 55 percent) and Metro Manila (41 percent from 51 percent).

Binay’s approval rating also dipped among Classes ABC (31 percent from 43 percent), D (44 percent from 56 percent) and E (46 percent from 67 percent).

His camp pointed out that his strength lay in the provinces. “He is thankful for the big plurality to near majority approval and trust ratings that he got from the different regions and classes,” said his spokesman Rico Quicho.

Binay: Presidential dream...

PAGE A1 “Kasi in the first place, sa classroom pa lang, I was always a class officer. In college, I was a member of the UP Student Council, elected.

Gusto ko talagang maglingkod sa pamahalaan. After all, I suppose you read it in profiles in college, one of the best professions is working in government kasi it gives you an opportunity to be of service [to] the people.” he said.

Binay, who once called the vice

presidency as a “spare tire,” said his position can be a stepping stone to the presidency “if you’ve done something good in that position.”

“At least pinalad ako doon sa aking pangarap na ako ay hindi maging spare tire dahil sa pinagkatiwalaan din naman ako ni Pangulong Aquino na ako ay mangasiwa sa pabahay,” he said.

If he would be elected president in 2016, Binay said he would spend his first 100 days in office

PH is ‘strongest emerging...

PAGE A1 S&P said it ranked each emerging market’s overall vulnerability by using a simple average of its ranking on each of the three different measures of risk, from 1 (most vulnerable) to 22 (least vulnerable).

To arrive at each risk score, the credit rater used a number of economic variables. For instance, the measure a country’s vulner-

ability to the Fed’s rate hike, S&P looked at indicators such as foreign debt stock, levels of shortterm debt, and external financing needs relative to an economy’s steady dollar income streams.

Venezuela, Argentina, Turkey, Colombia and Peru are the emerging market sovereigns that may be the most vulnerable currently to the combined effect of the three key risks of tightening

Police still on search for missing...

PAGE A1 Christian’s last known activity was on Sunday around 5pm when he left work. It is said that he may have visited one of the Bay Area casinos.

His friends and family have also checked hospitals, police

departments and casinos in the San Francisco, Peninsula, South Bay and East Bay areas.

At present, there are no leads on where Christian could be and the police are asking the public’s help in locating him.

Christian is described as 5-

“uplifting the life of the Filipino people” by addressing unemployment and lowering income tax.

“There are many changes that can be done. For example, I am fully supportive, although it’s not fully supported by the administration and even by the administration candidate for president, of lowering the income tax. That will increase money for the people for them to spend, among others. We will find a way to reduce the cost of prices, specifically for basic commodities like rice,” the vice president said. global liquidity, financial deleveraging and a Chinese slowdown The Philippines was the least vulnerable economy to the Fed’s rate hike, the fourth-least vulnerable to deleveraging, and fifthleast to a slowing China.

S&P noted that the Philippines’ exports to China accounted for less than two-tenths of gross domestic product (GDP). Trade between China and the Philippines likewise declined 0.86 percent since 2013. foot-3 inches, 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He drives a metallic blue 2000 Lexus RX 300 with license plate 4JDX557.

Any information on Christian’s whereabouts should be forwarded to the police at (650) 991-8119 or the tip line at (650) 873-AIMS and refer to case #15008381.

Waze: Manila has worst traffic...

PAGE A1 marked as “satisfying” and 1 as “miserable.”

Manila got the distinction of having topped the list of cities with the “worst traffic on Earth.”

Indonesia, however, had eight cities listed in Waze’s “horror roll.”

The average commuting time in Manila has been estimated at 45.5 minutes, making it the longest commute time in most major cities all over the world.

The Philippines also scored low in the Road Quality Index, and the Socio-Economic Index, which is based on access to cars and impact of gas prices.

Not all was bad for the Philippines, however.

The country scored a 9.3 in Waze’s Safety Index, which means the

Results of the study by Waze showed that on a city level, Metro Manila has the worst traffic on Earth, followed by Bandung and Guatemala.

Philippines has the safest roads based on number of accidents, road hazards and weather.

The Philippines also got the

highest rank on the Drivers Services Index based on access to gas stations and easy parking.

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Asian immigrants likely...

PAGE A1 immigrants have come to the US from Latin America, and a quarter of new immigrants have come from Asia.

The US currently holds the largest immigrant population in the world--today, about 14 percent of the nation’s population are immigrants, but that number is expected to rise to at least 18 percent, Pew Research Center projected.

Of the current largest immigrant groups, Hispanics made up 4 percent of the total US population in 1965. Today, they make up 18 percent, and by 2065, that figure is projected to be 24 percent.

Asians, meanwhile, were less than 1 percent of the total population 50 years ago--today, their numbers went up to 6 percent in 2015, and they are expected to meet 14 percent by 2065.

Earlier data from the Migrant Policy Institute revealed Asians have one of the highest naturalization rates in the country. While only 47 percent of all immigrants in the country are naturalized, the number for Asian immigrants is considerably higher, at 59 percent.

Breaking it down by Asian subgroups, data found that Vietnamese and Taiwanese immigrants have the highest naturalization rates at 76 percent and 74 percent, respectively. Data reveals 59 percent of Koreans, 51 percent of Chinese, 47 percent of Indians, and 68 percent of Filipinos are naturalized.

As of 2013, 1.26 million Filipinos are US naturalized citizens; 43,489 of whom were naturalized that year. Today, the total Asian population in the United States amounts to over 18 million — nearly 18 times more than 1.5 million in 1970.

Though Hispanics make up 47 percent of US immigrants, immigration from Latin American countries has generally slowed, especially from Mexico.

“A steep decline began in 2007, in part because of the Great Recession,” Mark Lopez, director of Hispanic research for Pew, ex-

plained. “It became more difficult to cross the border and to demographic changes in Mexico with fewer young people wanting to head north.”

Lopez, who oversaw this study, says the steady rise of Asian immigrants has “bubbled up” over the past decade, noting Chinese citizens who’ve flocked to the United States for educational opportunities like graduate school. He also mentioned the great influx of Indians arriving on visas to work in high tech, taking jobs in Silicon Valley.

Of newer immigrants from the past five years, more have come from Asia (2.5 million) than from Central and South America (1.7 million).

According to Pew, the US will no longer have a “majority group” within four decades. By 2065, Hispanics are expected to make up 31 percent of immigrants, the study predicts. Asians will later outnumber Hispanics to make up 38 percent of immigrants.

“On one hand, US citizenship offers more security than let’s say, permanent resident status, which can be lost or revoked in some instances. In addition, to having the right to vote and having the ability to run for political office, US citizens can sponsor a wider range of family members — they can bring children, spouses and parents quicker than what’s allowed for the lawful permanent residents,” commented Jeanne Batalova, a senior policy researcher at the Migration Policy Institute.

Becoming a citizen is “a very important step for the Asian American community because it allows them to become more integrated in America,” said Jannette Diep, executive director of Boat People SOS-Houston, in a press call back in June. “This integration allows the AAPI community to become more visible in US cities, increasingly getting elected to public office. Some immigrants never thought they would become a US citizen and have the right to vote in their lifetimes.” (Allyson Escobar/AJPress)

Marcos seeks Duterte’s...

PAGE A1

candidate in the coming elections,” he added.

Duterte said Marcos asked for his help.

“He asked for some advice on what he should do. He was asking for my help,” according to the mayor.

Marcos also admitted seeking Duterte’s enlightenment on his political direction.

“I came here to ask for the mayor’s advice,” he told reporters. “I just needed to talk to somebody whose advice is genuine.”

Duterte’s supporters have been clamoring for him to run for President. Marcos was among the names being floated as his possible running mate.

On Tuesday, Sept. 29 Duterte met with Cayetano over dinner.

The mayor later said Cayetano will surely “wipe out” all other vice presidential aspirants.

Obviously, Cayetano wanted Duterte to be his partner, saying

the mayor is surely “worth the wait.”

The Duterte-Marcos tandem, however, was not discussed on Wednesday night.

“We discussed the tandem long time ago. It was not discussed today,” Marcos said. “The filing of candidacy is coming, and I need to make a decision. I have already sought his political advice before and this is a continuation of that.”

That he will run for Vice President is something that he still has to decide on.

“Well, I will announce that very soon,” Marcos said.

Duterte, meanwhile, said he will get in touch with Marcos once he finally comes up with a decision.

“I promised Senator Marcos to get in touch with him in the coming days. We are about to cross the Rubicon [to take a decisive step],” he added, apparently referring to the October 16 deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy.

Dateline USa

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 2-8, 2015

A

Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson on the upcoming NBA season and representing Filipino fans

by Agnes

ConstAnte AJPress

WITH the start of the 20152016 NBA season less than a month away, Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson is hoping “great things will happen” and anticipates the team will mesh well together.

“We got a lot of guys that want to learn and want to have a good season. We’re pretty strong....

Last year wasn’t fun, losing all those games, but at the same time

PAGE A1

we did learn a lot and we worked, we kept improving and that’s all we can ask for...” he told reporters during Lakers Media Day on Monday, Sept. 28.

The Fil-Am basketball player, who is entering his second year in the league, is looking to work hard and “put it all on the line” when the regular season begins on Oct. 27. Over the summer, he worked on honing his skills overall and told reporters his threePAGE A5

As Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson enters his second year in the NBA, he hopes “great things will happen” and expects the team will mesh well. Clarkson, the only current FilAm player in the league, also addressed questions regarding his recent trip to the Philippines, Gilas Pilipinas and his Filipino fans during Lakers Media Day on Monday, Sept. 28.

AJPress photo by Ding Carreon

US general vows to immediately defend...

tries has had close defense ties in the last 64 years since signing their Mutual Defense Treaty.

“Our mutual security has been upheld to the close working relationship that we have forged in that time,” Kennedy said during the opening of this year’s Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) in Fort Bonifacio.

“I would tell you that if anybody would challenge the sovereignty of this country, their best friends within this region would respond within a matter of hours and generally I assure you that that is not a hollow promise,” he added.

The Philippines is now embroiled in a territorial dispute with China, which is claiming almost 90 percent of the potentially oil- and gas-rich South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan

and the Philippines have overlapping claims in the area, where more than $5-trillion worth of trade passes through annually.

The Philippines has questioned what it described as China’s exaggerated territorial claim before an international arbitral tribunal but the Chinese government refused to answer the complaint.

The US has vowed to remain neutral on the dispute but has repeatedly called on China to adhere to the rule of law.

A total of 748 Philippine Marine troopers and 860 US Marines will participate in the PHIBLEX drills to be held from October 1 to 9. This year’s drills constitute the 32nd iteration of the bilateral exercise.

Trainings will be conducted in Ternate, Cavite, Crow Valley, Tarlac, San Antonio, Zambales and Palawan to enhance the interoper-

ability of the two forces and their readiness to provide assistance during calamities.

Boat raid drills will be held at the Arrecife Island in Sofronio Espanola, Palawan while mechanized assault exercises will be conducted at the Naval Education Training Center in Zambales. Live fire exercise will also be conducted in Crow Valley.

Maj. Gen. Alexander Balutan, commander of the Philippine Marine Ready Force, said the combined trainings would enable the military to improve its services to the public.

“In training we are not only investing in individual marine, but we are also investing in the future of our country. To me, honing your skills is not only a crucial requisite to rendering better service to the people, but also a reward to one’s

self as it forms you into a better man,” Balutan said.

“Sense of pride should make you to be at your best in your field of work because training is not far from doing our wares, the actual operational environment,” he added.

Kennedy said the drills would enable them to learn new lessons that they can apply to the increasingly complex security environment.

“The Philippine Marine Corps and US Marine Corps are absolutely rock solid partners as we train in security cooperation within the region,” the US military official said.

“These lessons are becoming more and more acute and remind us of the seriousness of the business that we have at hand,” he added.

A october 2-8, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline USa

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Pope Francis offers words of healing Immigrants unaware and peace before departing the US of US protections against financial abuse

Pope Franics

OVER the weekend, Pope Francis made a final stop during his historic six-day US visit to Philadelphia, to continue spreading his message of hope to diverse audiences, including immigrants, prison inmates, victims of sexual abuse, and Christian families from around the world.

Pope Francis arrived in Philadelphia on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 26, to celebrate a Holy Mass with the bishops and clergymen and women religious of Pennsylvania. The mass was held at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

“What about you?” the pope asked, speaking in his native Spanish to priests, deacons, and

consecrated religious men and women, to remind them of their mission of building up the church.

“How many young people in our parishes and schools have the same high ideals, generosity of spirit, and love for Christ and the Church! Do we challenge them?

Do we make space for them and help them to do their part? Do we share our own joy and enthusiasm in serving the Lord?”

He also called on the importance of women in the modern church, citing the example of St. Katharine Drexel, an heiress from Philadelphia who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, and used her wealth to support minority students in the early 1900s.

After the Mass and visit to St.

Charles Borromeo Seminary, Pope Francis greeted a crowd of thousands from the steps of Philadelphia’s historic Independence Mall, only a few feet from the building where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. Thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of the “Popemobile”-- a modest black Fiat 500--and chanted, “Francisco!” and “Viva Papa!”

In his remarks, the pontiff talked about the importance of cultural heritage, also tying America’s historic founding to religious freedom, which he has been advocating for throughout the trip.

He championed religious diversity and “compassion for those in need,” Huffington Post and the News Journal reported.

“I ask you not to forget that, like those who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your new nation. You should never be ashamed of your traditions,” Francis said. “I repeat, do not be ashamed of what is part of you, your lifeblood.”

Pope Francis’ pro-immigrant message has echoed throughout his tour, from his historic address to Congress last Thursday, Sept.

24 to the Mass of thousands celebrated Friday night, Sept. 25 at Madison Square Garden in New York, reported the Los Angeles Times. He called for compassion and understanding towards immigrants, calling on Americans to minister to the disadvantaged and forgotten in society.

“Many of you have emigrated to this country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life. Do not be discour-

Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson...

PAGE A3 point shots, among others, are easier to make.

“I was in there in the workshop [this summer] chopping my game down and working it back up and trying to build a lot of confidence for the season,” he said.

In his rookie year, Clarkson averaged 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.86 steals and 0.20 blocks in 59 games. He was also the first-ever Lakers player to be named the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month, an award he received in April for games he played in March this year.

Clarkson on Gilas In addition to representing the Los Angeles team, Clarkson was in talks earlier this year to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the ongoing FIBA Asia Championship, for which he was cleared to play.

However, due to scheduling conflicts with Lakers training camp, which began Monday, he did not make the Philippine roster.

Although Gilas lost to Palestine on the opening day of the championship on Sept. 23, it has secured the top seed after sweeping the second round of the tournament, claiming its most recent victory Tuesday, Sept. 29, against India.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, Gilas will face Lebanon in the final round.

“Just keep continuing to put it all on the line,” he said in a message to the Philippine team.

“Keep continuing to play and good things are going to happen, keep continuing to win. That’s all anybody can ask for, but most importantly, keep representing the flag and keep playing.”

He also said he hopes Gilas makes it to Rio. On visiting the Philippines & Filipino fans Clarkson, the only current Filipino-American player in the NBA, has expressed pride in his Filipino

aged by whatever challenges and hardships you face… you are called to be responsible citizens, and to contribute fruitfully to the life of the communities in which you live,” the pontiff said.

“He talks not like a pope, but like someone from my town, like a normal person,” Gerardo Flores, a Philadelphian and immigrant from Mexico, told the Los Angeles Times. “His words are going to change the ideas of the politicians.”

Later, the pope concluded his first day in Philadelphia at the Vatican-sponsored Festival of Families, as part of the World Meeting of Families along Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The event included live performances from comedian Jim Gaffigan, the Philadelphia Orchestra, singer Aretha Franklin, Andrea Bocelli, and Juanes, according to the Associated Press.

Actor Mark Wahlberg welcomed the pope before he led the crowd of over 20,000 people in prayer: “Holy Father, welcome to Philadelphia…the City of Brotherly Love.”

Families are “a factory of hope,” Pope Francis addressed the crowd in Spanish, reported CNN. “In the family, indeed, there are difficulties. But those difficulties are overcome with love.”

“Hatred is not capable of dealing with any difficulty and overcoming any difficulty. Division of hearts cannot overcome any difficulty. Only love. Only love is able to overcome. Love is about

PAGE A5 roots. In May, he visited the Philippines, an experience he spoke positively about. His mother, Annette Davis, is half-Filipino.

“Learning about my culture and being around those people....

It was a fun time for me and I really enjoyed it. Definitely being there with my country on my back is definitely something I want to do so hopefully we make that happen,” he told reporters.

While in the Philippines, Clarkson hosted an NBA Cares clinic with Trey Burke from the Utah Jazz and four-time NBA champion Horace Grant.

As Clarkson’s Filipino fans follow him into the NBA season, he offered the following message to them: “I’m going to keep trying to

OAKLAND, Calif. — Rosemarie Varona and her husband visited an auto dealership in 2009 and decided to take out a loan to purchase a car.

“We were so happy. I came here 20 years ago and this was my first new car,” says Verona, who is originally from the Philippines.

The couple negotiated with the dealership to finance the car through their own bank, Patelco, but the dealership did not follow through. “It was all lies,” says Varona. “I even received a letter from Patelco saying that they never received an application.”

Instead, the dealership attempted to finance the car through a different company at a higher interest rate.

Varona shared her story with a group of Bay Area ethnic media journalists and community organizers at a press event organized by New America Media for Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA).

HERA, a California non-profit legal services organization, provides free financial and legal counseling to California residents who have been subjected to predatory lending, can’t access affordable credit, or are dealing with homeowner problems such as foreclosures or poorly regulated homeowner’s associations that have the power to go after delinquent members.

“Why lawyers? The debt collection system in our country is

not very functional,” says Maeve Elise Brown, co-founder and executive director of HERA. “The same debt can get sold and resold multiple times to different entities until you don’t know the name of the person who’s collecting money from you, you don’t recognize the dollar amount, it’s all different from what you originally knew,” Brown explains.

Brown states that most consumers are unaware of the federal and state laws that protect them from predatory lending and other forms of financial abuse, and that HERA’s role is to spot and address violations of those laws.

HERA attorney Megumi Tsutsui describes the cases of two clients who applied for loans at check cashing stores to deal with emergency expenses.

“They were monolingual Spanish speakers,” Tsutsui says, “but they were given a contract in English telling them how much it would cost to take out this loan. They were never told in their language how much it would cost them. [One was] charged 80 percent interest, which was $1,750, to take out a $2,500 loan. The other person was charged a 180 percent interest rate, so it cost him $6,800 to take out a $2,500 loan.”

This type of lending is illegal under the California Civil Code 1632, which stipulates that

represent well and keep trying to put on for the country and the flag and try and do my best.”

Upcoming season With reports that Kobe Bryant could be retiring after this season, Clarkson said it means a lot to be playing with the NBA veteran.

“We want to send him out on a good note so that’s what we hope to do,” Clarkson said.

And with a rough season for the team last year, the Fil-Am said he wants to help bring back the Lakers’ winning days, especially because of the fans.

“We got the best fans in the league so they definitely make you want to put it all on the line when you’re out there playing. That’s what I’m trying to do,” he said.

Clarkson also said he and rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell were able to build chemistry during the summer. The better offcourt relationship makes it easy to bring that chemistry on game days, especially, he said, because it’s important that they are both able to communicate with each other easily.

“As a rookie, [we’re] both young guys and [we’re] both still learning.... Building that comfortability with each other off the court is going to make it much easier to do it when we’re on the court,” he said.

The Lakers will play its first game of the season on Oct. 28 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. n

PAGE A5

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Dateline PhiliPPines

A

PH ‘conditional’ commitment: Reduce carbon emissions by 70% in 2030

by Kristine

Angeli Inquirer.net

sAbillo

THE Philippine government has submitted to the United Nations the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, barely beating the Oct. 1 deadline of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Through the Climate Change Commission (CCC), the Philippines submitted on Thursday its “initial” Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), which identified both mitigation and adaptation measures.

The INDC was approved on Thursday by President Benigno Aquino III, chair of the CCC. The country is committing to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030 while maintaining a “business as usual scenario” from 2000 to 2030. The carbon dioxide reductions will come from the sectors of energy, transport, waste, forestry, and industry.

“Since this is an initial submission, we are looking at updating our INDC as more data becomes available,” Climate Change Commission Secretary Lucille Sering said in a statement.

Sering clarified that the commitments were conditional, meaning they could only be pursued if the climate change negotiations in Paris (21st Conference of Parties or COP21) during the end of the year would lead to financial resources and the facilitation of technology transfer.

The secretary said the premise was a result of a consultation held by the commission with stakeholders.

“These initial commitments are anchored on our policy declara-

tion under the Climate Change Law of 2009, as amended in 2012, that the state shall cooperate with the global community in the resolution of climate change issues,” Sering said in a statement.

Climate change advocates and world leaders are hoping for a legally binding agreement in Paris, which will help limit the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Parties to the UNFCCC are expected to submit INDCs by Oct. 1, which will be compiled for the UNFCCC secretariat to determine if the country pledges are enough to cover the convention’s climate goals.

The Philippine government’s 6page INDC submission states that it is based on the “philosophy of pursuing climate change mitigation as a function of adaptation.”

“As a country highly vulnerable to climate and disaster risks, mitigation measures as presented in the INDC will be pursued in line with sustainable development and a low-emission development that promotes inclusive growth,” it said.

The document added that the country “recognizes its responsibility to contribute its fair share in global climate action” by avoiding “dangerous anthropogenic (human-caused) interference” with the climate system.”

To come up with the 70 percent reduction target, the CCC used average annual population growth of 1.85 percent, historical gross domestic product rates from 2010 to 2014 and a projected annual average of 6.5 percent for 2015 to 2010.

Among the important aspects

identified in the INDC was for the Philippines to strengthen its “adaptive capacity” and over-all resilience. The CCC also emphasized the importance of mainstreaming climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

Among the measures to be implemented are institutional and system strengthening for downscaling climate change models, climate scenario-building, climate monitoring and observation; and rolling-out of science-based climate/disaster risk and vulnerability assessment process as the basis for mainstreaming climate and disaster risks reduction in development plans, programs and projects.

“Technical inputs and assistance are critical for certain sectors such as grid efficiency improvement, standard development for energy and water efficiency, cost-effective renewable energy, and alternative or high-efficiency technology for conventional power generation, among others,” the INDC document said.

Since being devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan), the Philippines has been the epitome of countries vulnerable to climate change.

Under the Climate Risk Index of Germanwatch, the Philippines ranked fifth within the period of 1994 to 2014.

The CCC, in its statement, said the government is “poised to make an influential statement to both Annex I and non-Annex I parties during the negotiations.”

Aquino was invited to attend the Paris climate negotiations but had yet to confirm his attendance.

Grace Poe: DNA sample didn’t come from Marcos kin

by MAilA

Ager Inquirer.net

SENATOR Grace Poe made it clear on Thursday, Oct. 1 that the DNA sample that she took to identify her biological parents did not come from the Marcos family.

Poe made this clarification when asked anew during an interview in Cebu about the urban legend that she was an illegitimate child of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, and former actress Rosemarie Sonora.

Sonora is the sister of the senator’s adoptive mother, veteran actress Susan Roces.

“Matagal na pong kwentuhan iyan na sinasabi ay ganun nga, wala naman kaming dahilan para paniwalaan iyan. In fact noong nagpa-DNA ako, mayroong isang lumapit na parang may posibilidad doon pero hindi dito sa Pamilya Marcos…” Poe said.

“Lumabas ang aking pinsan, sinabi niya na nasasaktan siya na ang kanyang nanay ay nahahalo dito sa kwentong ito, hindi ko din naman ginusto iyan, naiintindihan ko na masakit nga. Wala akong dahilan para isipin na iyan ay totoo dahil nga sa mga kwento na rin ng aking mga magulang at mga kakilala,” she said.

The cousin being referred to

by Poe is Sonora’s daughter, actress Sheryl Cruz, who publicly opposed her presidential bid.

Poe pointed out that even Marcos’ son and namesake, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., also refused to undergo a DNA test simply because he wants to be a part of this “urban legend.”

“Sabi niya ayaw daw niya kasi sabi niya he wants to be a part of an urban legend so hindi naman sa dahil, parang we’re making lie to it, pero wala ngang dahilan para isipin iyon na chismis lang talaga noon,” she further said.

Pope Francis offers words...

PAGE A4 celebration, love is joy, love is moving forward.”

Papal message of healing to victims, prisoners, and believers On his final day in the US, Sept.

27, Pope Francis had a packed schedule filled with visits, farewell remarks, and a Holy Mass for the people.

He spoke to about 300 bishops and religious at the chapel at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he stayed overnight in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania.

The seminary was also visited by St. John Paul II in 1797, as well as Blessed Mother Teresa and thenCardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI. The pope spoke on the serious issue of sexual abuse in the church, saying that “God weeps for the sexual abuse of children,” and apologizing on behalf of the number of priests and religious persons involved in such scandals.

At the meeting, he also met with several victims to pray with them.

“Please know that the Holy Father hears you and believes you.

I deeply regret that some bishops failed in their responsibility to

protect children. It is very disturbing to know that in some cases bishops were even abusers.”

Francis has created a Vatican tribunal to address the issue; also to prosecute clergy members and bishops who fail to protect victims, the Washington Post reported.

Later in the day, he visited inmates at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, going row by row to greet prisoners with sincere smiles and, for some, heartfelt hugs.

“Life is a journey, along different roads, different paths, which leave their mark on us,” Francis told 100 inmates at the site, which processes nearly 3,000 men a year. “All of us need to be cleaned, to be washed. [Jesus] invites us to share in his lot…to create new opportunities, for society as a whole. I encourage you to have this attitude with one another and with all those who in any way are part of this institution. May you make possible new opportunities, new journeys, new paths.”

To end his visit, the Pope celebrated his final mass to conclude the World Meeting of Families.

The outdoor 4 pm mass was held in front of the Philadelphia Mu-

seum of Art, and included a 500member papal choir.

In his homily, Francis encouraged the thousands of families gathered from around the world with words of love: “Faith grows when it is practiced and it is shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. These are the right place for faith to become life, and for faith to grow in life.”

At the Mass, he also announced the next World Meeting of Families to be held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2018. The global gathering of Catholics is held every three years.

Before departing by plane back to Rome, the Holy Pontiff thanked the volunteers, bishops and priests, and US lawmakers including President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for hosting and preparing for his historic visit.

“Please know that as I prepare to leave, I do so with a heart filled with gratitude and hope,” Pope Francis said, before his evening flight from Philadelphia International Airport. “I will pray for you and your families, and I ask you, please, to pray for me. May God bless you all. God bless America!”

(Allyson Escobar / AJPress)

Immigrants unaware of US...

PAGE A4 the terms of a contract must be provided to the borrower in a language they can understand.

California’s most common languages–Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese– are protected under the code.

Like Varona, many of HERA’s clients are immigrants who have negative items on their credit reports or sometimes no credit history at all.

“What a lot of people don’t realize when they’re coming to this country is that a large part of this economy is built on credit scores and credit history,” Tsutsui says.

“If you don’t have a credit history or you have a bad credit score, it could impact what the cost of credit is to you and what interest rate people charge you.”

In the Bay Area, credit scores are also having a growing impact

on whether people can access affordable housing. HERA clients have been denied affordable housing due to credit history, unpaid collections, or too much existing debt, such as large student loans.

“Student debt is very difficult to get rid of,” says senior attorney Noah Zinner. “If you fall behind on a credit card, you have options; there are limits to what they can do to come after you.”

Federal student loan debt is unique, Zinner explains, because tax returns and even public benefits are not protected from collectors.

Zinner says that HERA has been heavily involved in advocacy to reform federal student loan debt discharge rules. Right now, he considers the best-case scenario for most borrowers to be a payment schedule of 15 percent

of the student’s discretionary income for 25 years. He notes that many clients find this prospect dismaying.

“The things that everybody needs in order to move ahead,” says Zinner, “like housing, education, a car if you need to get to work [are] becoming inaccessible to people, or accessible at such a cost that you’re basically becoming a servant to your own debt.

“Although there seems to be wealth growing in the Bay Area, it’s very much a superficial wealth [that’s] only accessible to a very few.”

This report is part of a project to educate consumers about financial abuse in partnership with Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA). For more information, go to www.heraca. org. (Sarita Hiatt/New America Media)

RECORD BREAKING HEAT. The strong El Niño prevailing in the Philippines may break previous records, the state weather bureau said on Wednesday, Sept. 30. “A number of climate models show that the ongoing El Niño event is comparable or may even surpass the [sea surface temperature anomalies or SSTAs] observed during the 1997-98 El Niño,” Vicente Malano, acting administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services and Administration said. The 1997-1998 El Niño was the strongest on record in the past 100 years.

Inquirer.net photo

Comelec vows credible 2016 elections by rosette

Adel

Philstar.com

MANILA—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday, Oct. 1 said they are committed to hold a credible May 2016 national and local elections.

“Ang aming mantra ay credible elections. Sinasabi namin na bumoto ng tama, at bumilang ng tama. Ang tungkulin ng bawat botante ay bumoto ng tama, ang responsibilad ng Comelec ay bumilang ng tama,” said Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said.

Bautista assured the public after Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay said he fears that there will be election fraud in the 2016 polls.

According to Binay, his biggest worry in the next year’s elections is the possibility of cheating involving the Comelec’s vote counting machines.

Binay also said he is worried that the government funds will be used in the campaigns of administration backed-candidates.

The vice president called on the poll body agency to strictly enforce its campaign finance guidelines to regulate expenditures of candi-

The Commission on Elections assured the public that they vow to hold a “credible” 2016 elections.

Philstar.com photo

dates and prevent overspending in campaign activities.

Bautista clarified that they will ensure a clean electoral process and campaign. However, he said Comelec has no power to stop the “premature campaigning” activities of candidates.

“There is no offense such as premature campaigning kasi it can only happen during the campaign period. So, by and large, from now until Feb. 8, 2016, the Comelec is powerless to regulate campaign

expenditures,” Bautista said.

The campaign period for candidates for president, vice president, senators, and party-list groups is slated Feb. 9 to May 7, 2016 while campaign period for local candidates such as district representatives, regional, provincial, city and municipal officials will start March 25 until May 7 next year.

The Comelec also wants to ensure an orderly and peaceful filing of the certificates of candidacy in October.

A october 2-8, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL

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OpiniOn

Features

Alerted

TOURISM is a dynamic and complex industry, where apart from leisure, the success of any tourism destination will depend on how well it can provide a safe and secure environment for its visitors.

Currently on the upswing, the Philippine tourism’s momentum as being one of the leading tourist attractions in Asia might be halted following the highly publicized abduction on Samal Island in Davao Del Norte.

Local and international authorities have been alerted after the kidnapping incident of three foreigners and a Filipina from a luxury resort island in Samal. Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, Hall’s Filipino girlfriend Marites Flor, and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, were taken from the Holiday Oceanview Marina before midnight on Sept. 21, by armed men who claimed that they were members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

However, early speculations also pointed out that the Abu Sayyaf Group, a terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda, initiated the attack. The group is notorious for kidnap-for-ransom activities in Mindanao but the military has yet to confirm if the group is behind the recent abduction.

There has been no breakthrough in the search and rescue operation as of Tuesday, Sept. 29. Hundreds of policemen, elite Army troops and Navy members are currently scouring the coasts of Davao and nearby provinces in search of the captives and the armed group.

Canada has advised its nationals against traveling in several areas in Mindanao after two of its citizens were among the captives. Canada said

its nationals should avoid travel to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula and the provinces of Sarangani, Lanao del Norte, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Cotabato, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat “due to the serious threat of terrorist attacks and kidnapping.”

Other countries followed suit as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have issued travel advisories to their citizens. If not concluded at the soonest time possible, more travel advisories against the Philippines are to be expected, and its consequences to the tourism industry may be exacerbated.

Malacañang accepted the travel advisories issued against areas in Mindanao. However, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. assured everyone that the Philippine government is working double time to apprehend the perpetrators. Coloma also allayed the possible effects of the latest kidnapping in the tourism industry saying that it was an isolated case in the last 14 years.

Coloma added that the government has enforced tighter security also as part of the country’s preparation for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Nov. 18 and 19. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin are

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

among the expected high-profile visitors of this year’s gathering of world leaders.

The kidnapping incident is not to be tolerated, but it is enough reason to make the national government and concerned agencies improve their operation to promote a safer environment not just for the country’s tourists but also its citizens. The

country’s tourism will undoubtedly suffer after this, but this doesn’t mean all the things that have made Philippines—a country full of history and cultural diversity—are gone. All agencies concerned will just have to compromise and compensate for the damages that may be incurred from this unfortunate incident. (AJPress)

Early poll results: Fil-Ams choose Roxas over Poe and Binay AS the election season in the Philippines heats up, we see possible tandems forming among those seeking the highest posts of government. Anticipation and excitement are growing, and Fil-Ams are very much in the loop about the political developments in the Motherland.

As of press time, Sec. Mar Roxas still awaits Cong. Leni Robredo to be on board as his vice president, but she asked for more time to discern whether this is her true calling, because her daughters with the late DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo’s daughters wish that she would not run for the

er to run with second-highest post.

Binay as other Only Sen. Grace Poe The Fil-Am rumors say he has a solid tandem with could be picked by Sen. Chiz Escudero, who Perspective Davao City Mayor is definitely running as Rodrigo Duterte. her vice president.

Duterte has yet to VP Jejomar Binay formally announce has not yet announced Gel sanTos-relos his intent to run, who his pick is for VP, but the latest suralthough rumors are circulating that it would probably be vey shows a strong following, placing Sen. Bongbong Marcos, a solid anti- fourth after Poe, Roxas and Binay.

Pictures of Duterte and Sen. Allan administration figure whose political interests match those of Binay at this Peter Cayetano have been circulating in the news after Cayetano formally time.

But even Marcos is not sure wheth- announced that he is indeed running

for VP. Could this scenario push Robredo to run with Roxas?

On September 16, after Poe announced her candidacy, The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast Balitang America asked its viewers: If the Philippine Presidential Elections were held today, who would you vote for to be the next President of the Philippines?

The results: Mar Roxas - 56 percent Grace Poe - 29 percent None of the above - 15 percent Jejomar Binay - 0 percent It looks like Binay has a lot of work

to do among Filipinos in America. meanwhile, will Duterte shake the dynamics if and when he decides to run for President? Will Grace Poe be able to keep her lead? Will Mar’s upward momentum catapult him to be the next President?

ABANGAN ANG SUSUNOD NA KABANATA! *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are 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

Lies, damned lies and Grace Poe Llamanzares Commentary

Francisco s. TaTad THE original phrase reads, “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Initially attributed to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), it was later quoted by Mark Twain, Walter Bagehot, Arthur James Balfour, Henry Du Pre Labouchere, Jervoise Athelstane Baines, Leonard Courtney, Winston Churchill, among other famous personalities. It recently appeared as the epigraph of an article written by Gil Ramos, Ph. D., a Filipino data scientist living in the US West Coast, who raised serious questions about the credibility of the two polling firms in the Philippines, Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations. It slammed the use of “surveys” for propaganda purposes, specifically to manufacture rather than measure public opinion in favor or against certain political personalities.

I have called these surveys a blunt instrument for the idiotization of the Filipino masses, notably the voters. They are routinely inflicted on the ignorant and the gullible, and even on the not-so-ignorant and yet so gullible, with the obscene collaboration of the complicit and superficial media and other tools of mass deception and mass hypnosis. Recent and ongoing developments have reconfirmed and reinforced this analysis, thereby aggravating the nation’s increasing moral and political blindness.

I have a healthy respect for honest, professional polling. But

not for “push polls” and manufactured surveys that stink. In a while, we shall talk a little more about these. But just as no selfrespecting entrepreneur would invest money in a new product without first ascertaining whether or not there is a market for it, no self-respecting politician would announce his bid for any office without first ascertaining whether any portion of the public is aware of him and his intrinsic merits. This is where market research or honest and scientific polling has its uses. I myself have availed of it.

In 1978, I was on my ninth year as the youngest person in the Marcos Cabinet, and the President asked me to run for the Batasang Pambansa. Then, as now, I did not see myself as a politician, so I tried to beg off.

I didn’t slap people’s backs, nor tell green jokes, nor laugh at jokes that weren’t funny, I told the President, so I would be the wrong person for it. But it was the first election of the New Society, he said, (martial law did away with elections in 1972), and I was “the spokesman of the New Society,” so I had to run. It was not a request, but a command, so I had to submit.

As it was to be a regional election, my problem was, although I knew I was a Bicolano, the Bicolanos did not know who I was. So I had to go down to Bicol to make myself known to the Bicolanos. After a month or so, I ran a survey to find out whether I was registering, not as a potential candidate in an election that was yet to be announced, but simply as a Bicolano. The result was positive, and I used it to help me decide whether or not to run, but not to advertise myself as a potential candidate.

This is not what’s happening right now.

Rich and ambitious non-enti-

ties pay off the entrepreneurial pollsters to put them on the list of those whom the public would allegedly like to see in the Senate, even before the senatorial candidates are officially nominated. Or, the pollsters themselves solicit the business of the interested parties and come up with simulated or manufactured surveys to award favorable ratings to the paying parties. In the case of the presidential polls, the fraudsters do not even bother to find out whether the names they include in their manufactured or manipulated surveys are all eligible for the office, pursuant to the constitutional requirement that no person may be elected president or vice-president, unless he is, among others, a natural-born citizen, which means one who is a Philippine citizen from birth, without having to perform an act to acquire or perfect his citizenship.

The most scandalous proof of this is the persistent effort to portray Sen. Grace Poe Llamanzares as the alleged front-runner in the alleged presidential surveys supposedly commissioned and paid for by a penurious newspaper, despite the fact that she is not even a naturalborn Filipino under the Constitution, and therefore not fit to remain in the Senate, as stated in the quo warranto suit before the Senate Electoral Tribunal by petitioner Rizalito David and his counsel Manuelito Luna, or to run for president or vice president.

If the propaganda pollsters really want to find out what Filipinos really think about Mrs. Llamanzares, they should run a survey among individuals who understand what the Constitution says about natural-born citizens, and know that Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares was born a foundling without any

known parentage or citizenship, and ask them whether citizens should follow the clear language and the “dura lex sed lex” mandate of the Constitution or the unverified and unverifiable claims of so-called popularity polls. The choice is between the constitutional process and a con game. And in many instances, the opinion polls have been used as a con-game.

Thus, the Philippine Star page 2 story claimed: “Poe tops Pulse Asia survey for president, VP.” “Sen. Grace Poe remains the leading candidate for president and vice president in the May 2016 elections, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey.

“Poe topped the Sept. 8 to 14 survey for most preferred candidates for president, Pulse Asia said.

“Poe would be elected president by 26 percent of Filipinos if the 2016 were held during the survey period, Pulse Asia said.”

If indeed a real survey was conducted, among individuals who understood that Mrs. Llamanzares’s constitutional eligibility is under serious dispute because of her lack of citizenship, the pollsters should have asked the respondents whether or not they cared about this issue at all, and if they didn’t, the pollsters should have reported that 26 percent of those interviewed——not 26 percent of 50 million Filipino voters—-would still choose Mrs. Llamanzares, whether or not she was constitutionally eligible for the office.

The day before that, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the paper whose gatekeepers have the arrogance to say that nothing is news until you read it in the PDI, bannered a non-story saying, “More lawyers back Poe on citizenship,” accompanied by a commentary by one Oscar Franklin Tan, whom the paper

identified as its legal commentator, saying that Mrs. Llamanzares’ continued use of her US passport after she had supposedly renounced her US citizenship and taken an oath of allegiance to the Philippines was irrelevant to the question of her citizenship.

The paper gave the impression that an army of lawyers had come out of the woodwork to supply evidence which Mrs. Llamanzares’ counsel had earlier failed to provide the SET, and which should now convince Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Justices Arturo Brion and Teresita de Castro as well as any of the six senatorjudges whose understanding of and loyalty to the Constitution transcend all partisan and other personal considerations, that an infant born with no known parentage, nationality or citizenship could still become a natural-born citizen later in life by participating in a beauty contest.

The paper failed to produce the army of lawyers, or any novel theory or doctrine that transcends or overturns Sec. 2, Article IV of the Constitution, which says, “Natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship.” It quoted with ease the statement of former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, who referred to Article 2 of the 1961Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which provides that, “A foundling found in the territory of a Contracting State shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be considered to have been born in the territory of parents possessing the nationality of the State.”

But it failed to point out that

said Convention came into force long after Mary Grace was born and found, and that the Philippines has not acceded to it, and is not therefore a “contracting party” to it, until now. The Nobel laureate Albert Camus warns against “quoting without judging;” even retired jurists as well as leading national newspapers of a certain class would do well to remember that.

As for the PDI legal commentator Tan, he calls those who question Mrs. Llamanzares’ citizenship status as “haters of our favorite foundling,” and sneers at petitioner Rizalito David’s counsel Manuelito Luna by asking “who is this lawyer Luna belatedly hounding Poe?” He appears to be in desperate search of personal motives to explain why some people want Mrs. Llamanzares disqualified from seeking an office for which she is not eligible under the Constitution.

I was the first one to point out that Mrs. Llamanzares is not a natural-born Filipino. I have written the most number of articles on this issue, too.

But until I saw how much lying she has done under oath, I was prepared to say that without the constitutional issue hounding her, I would have been among her foremost admirers and would have supported her. So why suggest hate at all? I do not even hate PNoy, why should I hate her? Neither, I believe, does Rizalito David or Manuelito Luna. It is a terribly small mind that wants to reduce an issue as large as a presidential candidate’s constitutional ineligibility for the office into a personal thing.

Tan does Mrs. Llamanzares no great service when he says: “She became a Philippine-US dual citizen in 2006. She swore PAGE A7

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Too early to get Aquino off the hook over DAP—Bayan

by Yuji

Vincent Gonzales Inquirer.net

WhILE welcoming the Ombudsman’s order to probe Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad over the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), a militant group on Thursday, Oct. 1 maintained that President Benigno Aquino III should be held liable for the controversial savings-impounding mechanism, portions of which were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said Aquino was “principally accountable” for DAP, which was regarded the President’s pork barrel, as he was the one who approved the release of funds.

“It is only right that DBM Secretary Abad and his undersecretary Mario Relampagos face the investigation for their role in the illegal DAP. however the biggest problem is that the Ombudsman field investigators have already absolved President Aquino from any liability,” Reyes said in a statement.

“Aquino is principally accountable for DAP since he signed the DAP memos releasing P144 billion for various pork barrel projects. how can he not be liable now?” he added.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Wednesday ordered the investigation for technical malversation of Abad, who was said to be the brains behind DAP, along with Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos, who is currently facing

Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes

graft charges over the pork barrel scam. The order came after Morales approved the fact-finding probe of the Ombudsman field investigation office which found Abad and Relampagos liable over DAP. It was noticeable, however, that Morales did not order a probe on Aquino, who appointed her to office in 2012.

Reyes said the Ombudsman should investigate Aquino’s supposed role in the DAP, noting that Abad and Relampagos may use him as an excuse to get away with the allegations.

“Wouldn’t Abad and Relampagos use as their defense the fact that the Ombudsman already cleared Aquino and that they were thus merely carrying out lawful orders from the president?” Reyes asked.

“The Abad probe may turn out to be a sham if Aquino’s key role in the DAP is not pursued.

The case should not be limited simply to malversation,” he said.

The DAP first became contro-

Inquirer.net photo

versial in September 2013 when Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada disclosed in a privilege speech that senator judges were bribed P50 million in DAP to convict then Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Practices under DAP were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in its July 2014 ruling, which was modified in February 2015.

“The Ombudsman must look into how billions were given to lawmakers who supported the Corona impeachment trial.

Aquino and Abad were involved in the corruption of public officials during the impeachment.

It is too early to get Aquino off the hook,” Reyes added.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Budget and Management welcomed the Ombudman’s probe but noted that the inquiry was “not a matter whether individuals had stolen from public coffers.”

Malacanang, meanwhile, called the investigation as an “opportunity” to clarify legal issues surrounding the DAP.

Lies, damned lies and Grace Poe...

PAGE A6 an oath of allegiance to the Philippines in 2010 as chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board…The day before she swore her oath of office on Oct. 21, 2010, to President Aquino, Poe filed a sworn affidavit that she was renouncing her US citizenship.

But she filed this with the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and Deportation, not with the US government.”

This has the same effect as the various falsified or flawed documents submitted by the defense counsel to the SET. Instead of helping the respondent, it bakes her in the furnace. Remember the Dual Citizenship Law cov-

ers only former natural-born Filipinos who became foreign citizens after 2003. Mrs. Llamanzares was never a former natural-born citizen, and she became a US citizen, by Tan’s own admission in 2001, before the passage of the Dual Citizenship Law. So his statement has no merit. As to her alleged renunciation of US citizenship, this act had to be perfected under US law, with the US State Department, not with the BID.

By Tan’s own admission, she was still a US citizen when she assume office as MTRCB chair, a job reserved for Filipinos. This was a further violation of law.

We have to end where we began—-with surveys. Surveys,

even when done with great scientific care, could still be flawed. This happened in the 1948 US presidential election when, on the basis of nearly unanimous forecasts, the Chicago Tribune headlined, ”Dewey defeats Truman,” only to see Truman win. What is unforgivable though is when despite the shameful SWS exit survey fiasco in Metro Manila in 2004, we still find the same fraudsters in operation, and they have the temerity to boast a nearly 100 percent accuracy, just because their surveys are used no longer simply for mind-conditioning, but rather to guide the cheating syndicate that controls the hocus PCOS. (ManilaTimes.net)

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 2-8, 2015

A

Pooled editorial

Big task ahead for Filipinos in Jersey City ThIS is a pooled editorial, which, is being published simultaneously this week by the The Asian Journal, Filipino Reporter, and Filipino Express about the possibility of a Filipino American running and becoming mayor of New Jersey’s second largest and most progressive city, Jersey City.

A pooled editorial happens when the editors of various newspapers agree to publish same piece about a significant and important subject on same date.

On the fifth year (in 2014) of the Ampatuan Massacre in Mindanao where 58 men and women, including 32 journalists were killed mercilessly, the newspapers in the Philippines agreed to publish a pooled editorial on the pending case.

Earlier this week, Jersey City Council President Rolando Lavarro, Jr., son of Filipino immigrants, summoned the leaders and members of various Filipino groups in his city, and candidly discussed with them his political plans for the next mayoral election in early 2017.

“I’m in,” Lavarro told his supporters humbly but confidently Monday night.

Meaning, he had made it known openly that he was one of four or five persons who are aspiring to become the next mayor of Jersey City. That is, assuming the popular Mayor Steve Fulop runs for a higher position in the State government of New Jersey, It is a known fact in political circles in this city that the

38-year-old Mr. Fulop is bent on running for governor of the State. The question left is when he will make the announcement?

In that event, it is most likely, Lavarro will be in the mayoral race.

Filipinos in Jersey City are excited and enthusiastic about the prospect of having a Filipino as chief executive, where around 20,000 of them live or reside.

At the same time, they are also aware of the big task ahead in order to attain victory.

Political observers here agree that a united Filipino vote could make a candidate win or lose.

It had been shown in previous elections.

Joseph Estrada still has no presidential candidate to endorse

by Yuji

Vincent Gonzales Inquirer.net

FORMER President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada is still mum which presidential aspirant he will endorse in the 2016 elections.

“Baka hindi, baka mag-endorse.

Ang hinahanap ko ‘yung higit na makapaglilingkod sa maraming Pilipino,” Estrada told reporters after endorsing the senatorial bid of Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Estrada said he was looking for someone who would echo his own advocacies, on top of which were peace and order and infrastructure.

“Ang akin kasi, iba ‘yung sa kanila, hindi sumusuporta sa aking plataporma. Ang aking prayoridad peace and order. There can never be economic growth without peace and order,” he said. “hanggang ngayon nandiyan ang NPA, nandiyan ang MILF… Number one priority should be peace and order. hindi uunlad ang ating ekonomiya kung walang kapayapaan at katahimikan,” Estrada said.

“I will always endorse somebody whose platform is the greater good for the greatest number.

Kailangan ilabas muna nila ‘yung

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada

plataporma nila,” he added.

Asked about the platform of government that his goddaughter and poll frontrunner Sen. Grace Poe laid out when the lady senator formally declared her bid for the presidency last Sept. 16, Estrada said: “hindi pa sapat.”

Estrada was a close friend of fellow movie actor and Sen. Poe’s late father, Fernando Poe Jr.

he was also a former pillar of the United Nationalist Alliance of Vice President Jejomar Binay, another presidential contender.

Despite ties with Poe and Binay, the former President previously said that administration standardbearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II was the most qualified to be the country’s next leader for his experience and credentials.

A october 2-8, 2015 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL

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

people events arts culture entertainment

october 2-8, 2015

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CeCilia espinosa sison and her first born son, CirCa 1954

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An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY OcTObER 2, 2015

Fil-Am community lines up Filipino-American History Month festivities

Rizal’s trip to New York in 1888, where he stayed at the Fifth Avenue Hotel (now the building where The White House Initiative on The Filipino American Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Eataly is). It was here where the communities in the United States Philippine national hero wrote about (WHIAAPI) and the White House gather together twice a year to how he was impressed with the Office of Public Engagement (OPE) celebrate history and heritage - first buildings. He even drew a sketch of will host a Celebration of Filipino in June to commemorate Philippine the Brooklyn Bridge, which had just independence and again in October American History Month (FAHM) beginning on Friday, October 2, 2015 been built a few years earlier. to celebrate Filipino American Then there is also this discovery at the White House. The Celebration History Month. of what could be the oldest History books taught us that the will kick off FAHM and will feature documented Filipino restaurant not discussions with Administration Philippines declared independence just in New York but in the entire officials and prominent Filipino from Spain in June 12, 1898 but not United States. It was called Manila a lot of people know why the Fil-Am Americans, as well as performances Karihan Restaurant located on Sands by distinguished Filipino American communities celebrate history Street near the Brooklyn Navy Yards. artists. month every October.

“The book covers a lot of The Philippine Consulate Well, this is due to the first different times in history and it really General New York, in cooperation recorded presence of Filipinos in was a community effort,” Nadal said, with some Filipino American the United States. It was October thanking FANHS members and community organizations such as 18, 1587 when the “Luzones Indios” Dr. Kevin Nadal, FANHS National Trustee contributors to the book. “We have Philippine-American Friendship came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esparanza Committee (PAFCOM) and Filipino American National Historical Society and landed at what is now Morro (FANHS-NJ) began Filipino American Bay, California.

History Month Celebration with The late Dr. Fred Cordova, who along with his wife Dorothy founded a program at the New Jersey City Filipino American National Historical University.

Earlier this week, the Filipino Society, first introduced October as American Press Club of New York Filipino American History Month met with officials of FANHS New York in 1992 with a resolution from the for a ‘kapihan’ discussing, among FANHS National Board of Trustees. others the celebration of history “The Cordovas wanted to month and the publication of the commemorate Filipino-American new book Filipinos in New York history and they wanted the edited by Dr. Nadal. contributions of the FilipinoDr. Kevin Nadal, Dolly Fernandez and Joey Tabaco at the Kapihan with the Fil-Am Press Club Filipinos in New York American community to the AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya ‘Filipinos in New York’ is the third of New York.

United States be highlighted,” said book on Filipinos in the east coast by Dr. Kevin Nadal, FANHS National Trustee. “Somewhere, people started Arcadia Publishing, the first two were Philadelphia and Washington, DC. mistaking it as Heritage Month and Dr. Nadal said he wanted to people started to make it about the come up with the book when they Philippines – which is great, but the began back in 2009 to revive FANHS month is really meant to be about New York and recruit new members.

Filipino American history.”

The New York chapter of the October as Filipino American organization was founded by author History Month Ronnie Alejandro.

In November of 2009, both They began by discussing the United States House of among their members what their Representatives and Senate passed lives were as Filipino Americans and laws – House Resolution 780 and native New Yorkers. They shared their Senate Resolution 298 respectively, Dr. Nadal showing photos of Filipinos in New York City in the early 1940s as Dolly Fernandez immigration histories and gathered officially recognizing October as shares her stories growing up in a mixed-race family. Her father is Filipino and her mother as many photographs as they could, is Scandinavian.

Filipino American History Month which they then added to the in the United States. Various states, members whose parents came to beauty pageants and various archival research Nadal himself did. counties and cities in the U.S. the United States at different times events where men would wear their There were already Filipinos have since followed suit and have from the 1930s, 1940s and post 1965 barongs and women their kimonos in New York as early as the 1900s established proclamations and covering a wide span of history. It is and ternos. who came to the United States as resolutions declaring observance of fascinating how it all came together.”

Joey Tabaco’s father was an pensionados or scholars of the US Filipino American History Month in Dolores Fernandez’s father, Pio industrial arts teacher by day but government. Nadal also shared their regions.

Fernandez immigrated to the United he also worked as a houseboy for that he knew Filipino seafarers who States in the late 1930s after joining American officers after the war. He arrived in the New York in the 1920s the US Army and serving directly found a magazine where he worked and settled near the Brooklyn Navy under Gen. Douglas MacArthur as and that magazine had an ad that Yards. a houseboy or personal valet. The wanted Filipinos to work for the then “We also found that there were book revealed that Fernandez, who just established United Nations. He Filipinos who were put on display was originally from Baybay, Leyte, applied and because he was multiin one of the amusement parks at traveled on 10 different ships before lingual and he knew how to type, he Coney Island in 1911. I didn’t know finally landing in New York City. was accepted for the job. He arrived that happened. I had known about “My father left the Philippines in the United States in 1946. the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904 but with Gen. MacArthur, and travelled Cecile Sison’s mother Cecilia we didn’t know this also happened around the world with him for five Espinosa landed on the cover of the in New York,” he explained. years,” Fernandez shared. “He left book. It was taken back in 1952 in Nadal moved to New York in the service after that and became Times Square, specifically the place 2002 to pursue his doctoral studies a merchant marine where he where TKTS and the red stairs are at Columbia University. He realized traveled again. He met my mother, now located. Ms. Espinosa was in then that most Filipino American a Scandinavian woman who was New York to study her masters in studies focused on communities much younger than him and here chemistry at Columbia University. in the West Coast and Hawaii so he I am.”

The book tells more than just the made it a point to learn more about It was a very difficult time for stories of Dolores, Joey and Cecile the experiences of the Filipinos on them then, according to Fernandez, and their families’ immigration to the the east coast. first because of his age and second, United States.

Among the interesting things because he was not Caucasian.

It also tells the hitherto unknown Dolores Fernandez in a traditional Philippine that Nadal uncovered was Dr. Jose “Her family disowned her.

She stories of Cerefino Garcia, a Filipino beauty pageant, circa 1978 was not permitted to bring him or boxer who lived in New York in the me to their home in Brooklyn for 1930s to 1940s, and won a world many years. We had to sit in the middleweight title at Madison car while she visited her parents,” Square Garden in October 1939; or she recalled. “I had no idea it was conjoined twins Lucio and Simplico an issue. We would play in the car Godino who worked as a side show and he would teach me songs like act at Coney Island when they were ‘Planting rice is never fun…’”

11 years old; or Carlos P. Romulo’s The family caved in later when letter to his grandfather written in they realized that Pio Fernandez was Spanish dated September 14, 1919 a good man so they caved in. lamenting the fact that the cost of Her father taught her about living in New York is high and he is her Filipino culture and heritage by paying ten dollars a week for a small telling her stories of his homeland room and about two to three dollars and by bringing her to the social a day for meals. gatherings that time. Growing Some things don’t change, even Dolores Fernandez Alic and her extended family, circa 1952 up, Fernandez joined community after almost a century later.

by MoMar

G. Visaya/AJPress

SPOLIARIUM IN NYC. Catch ‘Spoliarium: Juan Luna,’ a three-act neo-romantic opera at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center this weekend. Conceived by Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, one of the Philippines’ foremost opera singers and set to music by Ryan Cayabyab, Spoliarium brings the audience back to Paris on the eve of the Philippine Revolution. For inquiries and tickets, call (646) 201-6771 or (646) 415-1853.

Photo courtesy of Gail Prado

The Delano Grape Strike of 1965

THIS year, the community is also commemorating a couple of significant milestones in the Filipino American history – the 50th anniversary of the Immigration Act of 1965 and the 50th anniversary of the grape strike in Delano, California.

The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) of 1965 was signed

by President Lynden B. Johnson on October 3, 1965. It dramatically changed the demographic landscape of America. The law abolished the National Origins Quota System; made family-based immigration the basis for US immigration policy; and established a preference system for people with special occupational skills to become permanent residents.

The Philippines, after Mexico, has been the largest beneficiary of the liberalized immigration law. According to US Census and Homeland Security sources: in 2008 there were in the US approximately 1.7 million foreign born Filipinos; and approximately 1.4 million native born Filipinos, most who were the children or grandchildren of one or both parents who arrived after 1965.

50 years ago today, elderly Filipino men working in grape fields in Delano, California decided to go on strike to fight for better wages and working conditions. That courageous decision would have effects far beyond the grape fields.

In New York, the 50th anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike of 1965 will be celebrated with a conference that will be held on October 24 at the San Damiano Hall of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in midtown Manhattan. The conference aims to celebrate the 1965 strike as a victory of the migrant workers’ solidarity. This was when agricultural workers from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds were waging their own battle in the farmlands of California and about the same time when the Civil Rights Movement was sweeping through America.

In 1965, grape workers in Delano – mostly Filipinos and Mexicans – joined forces and went on strike to demand better wages and better working conditions. After five years, grape growers agreed to sign union contracts, granting workers better pay, benefits, and protections.

Al Rojas and Roger Gadiano, two veterans of the strike, will be the main speakers of the conference. Dr. Albert Bacdayan, former chairman of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky has done an extensive research on the strike and will give an overview of this historic event.

Current leaders of various migrant workers’ groups will also speak out and provide an overview of the plight of migrant workers today.

Golden Nuggets at Asia Society THERE are golden nuggets popping up throughout the month of October during the exhibition run of the Philippine Gold Exhibition from through Jan. 3, 2015. A series of cultural programs make up the motherlode of Filipino American culture programming. Asia Society is located at 725 Park Avenue and 70th Street in New York City. For more info, visit www.asiasociety.org.

Saturday, Oct 3, 11am: Kicking off the Filipino American History Month, “Encounters with Early Asian Gold, a symposium on the role of gold in trade and culture in pre-colonial Asia, will be held on at Asia Society. Held in conjunction with the exhibition, Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms, this symposium features new scholarship that reassesses understanding of Asian peoples in the context

of gold trade and movement.

Noted historians, art historians, and archaeologists present papers and discuss findings that impact our understanding of cultural interaction in Asia between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, before the period of sustained contact with western colonial powers.

Confirmed speakers and discussants at this one-day symposium include exhibition co-curators Florina H. Capistrano-Baker and Adriana Proser; MJ Louise A. Bolunia, chief archaeologist at the National Museum, Philippines; John Guy, Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Helen I. Jessup, independent scholar and President of Friends of Khmer Culture; Francois Louis, Associate Professor of Continued on Page 6

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ UNDER US immigration laws, if a non-citizen commits and/or is later convicted of certain types of crimes that person could be removed/deported. This is the case even if a person has been a green card holder for many years or later had the conviction expunged.

I have encountered people charged with crimes who either handled the case on their own and pled “guilty,” or their criminal attorney negotiated a “plea deal.”

After accepting the plea deal, they are shocked and horrified that DHS is now putting them in deportation procedure because of their criminal conviction. They profess their innocence, claiming they never really did anything wrong, did not understand the consequences of pleading guilty, and as part of their deportation defense, hope to prove their innocence.

The problem with that approach is that the immigration courts do not try, re-try, or decide your guilt or innocence of the crime you committed as part of the deportation/removal proceedings.

The focus is on the fact that you were already convicted or pled guilty. If you truly believed you were innocent, the place or venue to make that argument should have been in the criminal court. However, the immigration judge will not try your criminal case, when you already passed up the opportunity to do so, by pleading guilty.

That is why it is important for a non-citizen charged with a crime, to have a criminal attorney represent them in the criminal

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA (Part 1 of 3) HERE’S a thought. How about playing tourist in your own native land?

Get out of the city and really look with fresh eyes at the countryside. Let it not be said that aliens and other strangers saw something worthwhile that we didn’t — right in our own backyard.

Let’s hope that even with gale force

Immigrants charged with crimes should seek help from both criminal and immigration lawyers matter. They also seek the assistance of an immigration attorney who could work with the criminal attorney for an acceptable plea bargain.

Sometimes, it is possible to be charged with one crime, but the plea deal results in pleading guilty to a crime that may have no immigration consequences. For example, I had a case where the person was charged with assault and battery, after getting into a fight with a bouncer/security guard. Working with a criminal attorney, we negotiated a plea deal for “disturbing the peace,” which is like having your radio on too loud. That would have no immigration consequences.

Had the person pled guilty to assault and battery, it could have had severe immigration consequences.

Sometimes a criminal attorney may not be fully aware of the immigration consequences of a plea deal. The criminal attorney may be thrilled to get a plea deal that avoids jail time, but in so doing has the person plead guilty to a particular crime that will absolutely result in removal proceeding. Sometimes a person will accept the plea deal just to get the criminal matter “over with,” not realizing the plea deal will come back to haunt them, from an important standpoint.

If you are not a US citizen, and were charged with a crime, I would strongly recommend you immediately seek the advice of a reputable immigration attorney, who can analyze your situation, work with your criminal attorney

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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY O c TO b E R 2 , 20 1 5

in connection with negotiating an appropriate plea deal that would not have severe immigration consequences. Moreover, if you already pled guilty to a crime that carries severe immigration consequences, maybe certain steps can be taken to reopen the criminal matter, or otherwise lessen the severity of the plea.

However, I want to be clear that no one can “guarantee” any plea deal, as many factors come into play, such as the severity of the crime, the strength of the evidence against the person, the flexibility of the prosecutor, etc.

But I want to stress that crimes committed by non-– citizens have immigration consequences, and therefore, you should also consult an immigration attorney when making a plea deal. * * *

Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

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

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

THIS WEEK ON CITIZEN PINOY! HOW CAN A PERSON WHOSE WIFE WAS “KIDNAPPED” PETITION A NEW GIRLFRIEND? Leading US Immigration Attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL answers this question as well as a Humanitarian Revalidation question and more! Also, Atty. GURFINKEL gives viewers a look into how immigration concerns are handled in an office setting. All this and more, on the information-packed, awardwinning public service program --- CITIZEN PINOY, this Sunday, October 4 at 6:15pm PST/EST (9:15pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

More immigration questions are answered on an all new episode of Citizen Pinoy!

THIS Sunday, leading US Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel answers Kapamilya’s questions at his Law Offices in Glendale, California.

Can an aunt sponsor her nephew for a working visa at her own company?

A green card holder returned

to the Philippines to attend his father’s funeral and stayed all these years. Can he return to the US without being turned away?

Watch an all-new episode of your information-packed, awardwinning public service program on television – Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot–on Sunday,

October 4 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/ Satellite providers).

Also, for latest immigration news and updates, please “like” and “share” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gurfinkellaw.

(Advertising Supplement)

there is only one chance for a local side trip, just one chance to do one mad dance before your Philippine trip is over, begin the beguine with Vigan. It has first claim to being the best of the old remaining towns of our Philippine colonial past. It shows the eclectic blending of many cultures — Marcel Proust forged over hundreds of years.

Vigan shows aspects we would consumers to buy —we will always never see just by reading a travel have with us—but certain places book or watching a video. Vigan in the country deserve a long, hard shows aspects of our character, look and a VISIT, before they fade of who we are as a people. VIGAN away to oblivion.

TEACHES US. Vigan is one of them. If you For the longest time, I have fit the bill of an expatriate who always wanted to go North of must cram the tourist experience Manila and visit Vigan in the Ilocos into a 2 to 3 week time frame and province, struck by the memory

of an image I’ve seen in some tattered travel poster years back.

Here is Philippine history you can actually touch, a narrow, colonial street you can actually walk on or keep your ears peeled to listen at sundown to the soothing clip clop of horse-drawn calesas for hire to tourists at 150 Php/hour or more, mixed with the annoyingly grating sound of the ubiquitous tricycles. The authentic remnants of Spanish architecture on Calle Crisologo, a short strip of narrow, cobblestone road, allow us to get a glimpse of what life must have been like several hundred years ago.

If you have any clairvoyant bone in your body, you can even

sense the presence of curious, benign ghosts of ages past in the ancestral homes, mingling and jostling with the tourists eying strangers curiously wondering about us just as we wonder about them. At the nice, neat bed and breakfast inn we stayed in called Grandpa’s Inn, named for the doctor who owned it sometime ago, I could swear there is a quietly hovering presence in one part of the upstairs open area, faintly caught on camera, mysterious and otherworldly, making the small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

If it were not for the bagnet, the daing and the longganisa they Continued on Page 5

(Advertising Supplement)

Begin the Beguine with Vigan “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” winds brought on by the latest super storm to hit the area, Vigan remained unflappable.

Those cavernous shopping malls, tiendecitas, tianggues and the stalls of Greenhills springing up like mushrooms, awash with gizmos, trinkets, doodads and brand name knock-offs for

An Asian Journal Magazine

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An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY O c TO b E R 2 , 20 1 5

On the PEP Front

People, Events, Places

PACCAL confers Award of Distinction on 18 during its 23rd Anniversary

BoBBy T. yalong ThErE are well-rounded professionals who are qualified experts, duly certified, highly skilled, and rigidly trained, but what pale them in comparison with the achievers are the achievements of the latter. These are the ones who, aside from attaining high education and having landed profitable jobs, are altruistically involved in their community while finding opportunities for professional growth and chartering their own path for personal accomplishment. These people have distinctly established their status as esteemed and revered while simultaneously worthy of emulation and recognition.

In this connection, the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL) - in its continuing effort and unprecedented advocacy to recognize and honor FilipinoAmericans who have distinctly excelled in their chosen fields of endeavor and, at the same time, being of service to the community and inspirational guide to those walking behind - annually chooses successful achievers deserving of such meritorious Award of Distinction.

On Saturday, October 10, 2015 at the ramada Plaza Newark Liberty International Airport hotel

Steven Raga

EMPLOYMENT

Arland Macasieb

Chelle Lhuillier

Vitaliano Nonoy Rafael

(160-A Frontage road, Newark, NJ 07114) at 1:00 PM, eighteen (18) successful Fil-Ams will be distinctly honored with a dinner-dance gala while the event’s vigor and mood will be heightened with magenta motif for universal harmony and emotional balance.

PACCAL 23rd Founding Anniversary has Dr. Elizabeth B. Divinagracia as its honorary Chairperson with Joanne Sy Bhatia as honorary Co-chair while ramona S. Gapasin and rebecca Samanyaphon are designated Ball Chair and Co-chair, respectively.

After a thorough screening and meticulous selection process, PACCAL’s Awards Committee came up with 18 official recipients of this year’s Award of Distinction. here are the first nine (9) official awardees: Jayson Leonardo Javier – Culinary Expertise Born as adventurous as

his self-concocted recipes the kitchen wizard with iron fist in a velvet glove chef Jayson Leonardo Javier ably takes the bull by its horns while manning the four corners of his working area. Driven and in search of new ideas, Jayson has traveled halfway around the globe mastering and sharing nothing but only the best recipe a master gourmand could offer. hard working with positive outlook in life, Jayson was made firm and unaffected by the voluminous kitchen pressures and the physically exhausting and mentally draining effects of his daily routine. As a head Chef or Chef du Cuisine, Jason is in-charge of the whole kitchen set-up: from menu planning, and purchasing to hiring and staffing, and responsible for all the food that comes out of the kitchen. his undiminished

Soledad Dela Merced

John Derick Co

passion, multi-tasking skills, sensitive palate with attention to detail, committed to quality, and capability to handle kitchen tension and criticism made Jason a top choice as head Chef of Ichi Umi Buffet restaurant along 6E 32nd. Street, New York City. A renaissance man, Jayson is also well-versed in painting, singing, landscaping, interior designing, and writing poetry.

Vitaliano “Nonoy” Rafael – Sports Preeminence (Chess) Vitaliano “Nonoy” rafael has been constantly involved with Filipino-American chess events in the tri-state area for three decades as a chess competitor, team captain, and tournament organizer. his being strappingly armed with voluminous championship medals and trophies from various international chess competitions credibly capacitated him to successfully organize myriads of chess tourneys significantly when he single-handedly directed the simultaneous chess exhibition of the Philippines’ only chess superstar Grandmaster Wesley So held at the Philippine Center New York in 2012. A graduate of Industrial Management Engineering from Dela Salle University and Information Technology at Columbia University (NY) and currently a NYS Licensed real Estate broker (aside from moonlighting as a mobile DJ) after being a program manager and engineer for almost 30 years for aerospace and industrial manufacturing companies, Nonoy’s active affiliation with PIDCI catapulted

EMPLOYMENT

FOR SALE

Chef Jayson Leonardo Javier

Dr. Elizabeth B. Divinagracia

Iris Zalun

Geo Ed Rebucas

him to hold prestigious positions: as a Board Director and Chair of 2015 PIDCI Grand Parade and 2015 Mrs. Kalayaan Search & Coronation Gala.

John Derick Co – Terpsichorean Supremacy Innately born with gentle pair of terpsichorean feet, the AB Mass Communication graduate John Derick P. Co started his formal training for Ballroom Dancing in 1997 and instantly placed 2nd in a national competition but it only fueled his zealous pride and deliberately aimed to snatch the top plum. After undergoing advance training in hong-Kong, Australia, and the UK, he finally achieved his goal which made him represent the Philippines in various International Dance Competitions most noteworthy of which was when he was declared Senior Latin Champion in the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival in the United Kingdom (after consistently placing 2nd thrice). Currently a passionate Ballroom Dance Teacher, Derick juggles from Diva Dance Studio at Goshen, New York to Dance at Innerlight Movements Studio at Poughkeepsie, NY to D’haven at 58-02 37th Avenue in

Woodside, NY. Chelle Lhuillier – Human Rights Advocate Chelle Lhuillier, a BS Biology graduate with units in Post Graduate studies, was a revered Biology teacher before migrating to the US where she resumed her pedagogical career at the New York City Board of Education as a middle school Science teacher. An innately compassionate person with advocacy in voluntarism and humanitarian service, Chelle is currently the Vice President of the Lions Club International Elmhurst Queen of hearts Chapter.

A beauty titlist (Miss LGBT Philippines - USA , Miss Pearl of the Orient, Miss Asia Popularity), gender equality activist, and a most sought-after ramp mannequin, Chelle made history as the first Trans Woman to have participated at the Philippine Independence Day parade in NYC and exhibits her dynamism in various Fil-Am community fundraising events and sociocivic activities. To further her advocacy on equality and LGBT rights she joined as a volunteer member of the human rights Continued on Page 6

SERVICES

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An Asian Journal Magazine

Comcast announces fifth back-toschool kickoff for Internet Essentials More than 2 million low-income Americans, from 500,000 families, have now crossed the digital divide at home Company doubles internet speed, offers Wi-Fi routers for no additional cost, and announces pilot program for low-income senior citizens PHILADELPHIA—Comcast today announced several significant enhancements and milestones for Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive high-speed Internet adoption program.

The company said it plans to double the service’s download Internet speed, offer subscribers a Wi-Fi router for no additional cost, and conduct several pilot programs for low-income senior citizens. The announcements reaffirm Comcast’s commitment to help close the digital divide for low-income families and bring the transformative power of the Internet into more American homes.

Since the program’s inception, Comcast has made 25 key enhancements to Internet Essentials, and this is the third time in four years Comcast has increased speeds for customers.

The current speed is doubling to up to 10 Mbps downstream, which is enough to power multiple devices simultaneously. In addition, by offering free Wi-Fi routers, customers will be able to connect any Internet-enabled device, including tablets and smartphones, which could help save money on monthly wireless bills.

“We have made significant progress toward closing the digital divide for low-income parents and children across the country. In less than four years, Internet Essentials has connected more than 500,000 families, or more than 2 million low-income Americans, to the power of the Internet at home,” said David L. Cohen, Comcast Corporation Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer. “With the increase in the program’s Internet speeds, the addition of Wi-Fi and a streamlined auto-enrollment process, more families will have even easier access to the Internet

and its life-changing resources for education, employment, healthcare, communication, and entertainment.”

The pilot program for lowincome seniors is designed to better understand the unique challenges of helping them cross the digital divide and learn how to use the Internet. According to Pew Research Center, just 47 percent, or less than half, of seniors (aged 65 and older) have high-speed Internet at home. When it comes to income level, only 25 percent of seniors with household incomes below $30,000 have home broadband, compared to 82 percent of seniors with household incomes at or above $75,000.

The first pilot program will take place in Palm Beach County, Florida, where Cohen was joined

by City of West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, Palm Beach County School District Superintendent Robert Avossa, and Urban League of Palm Beach County President and CEO Patrick J. Franklin to make today’s announcements.

“Senior citizens can be an afterthought when it comes to addressing digital literacy and use of the Internet,” said Franklin.

“However, the Internet has a tremendous power to help change their lives for the better by tearing down the walls that geography may have put between them and the ones they love. It can also help restore a sense of community and inclusion, bonds that can weaken as we grow older.”

To receive the faster Internet speed, customers simply need to reboot their cable modems.

Existing customers who would like a Wi-Fi router just need to call the dedicated call center and either request to have one shipped to them for free, or they can schedule a professional installation, also for no additional cost. New

customers will have the option to receive a Wi-Fi router when they sign up.

Internet Essentials Investments Through Internet Essentials, Comcast has invested more than $240 million in cash and in-kind support to help fund digital literacy and readiness training and education, reaching nearly 3.2 million people through national and local nonprofit community partners. Through the end of June 2015, Comcast has: • Dedicated more than $1 million in grants to create Internet Essentials Learning Zones, where networks of nonprofit partners are working together to enhance public Internet access and increase family-focused digital literacy training in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Fresno, Miami, and Seattle, among others.

• Provided more than 41,000 subsidized computers at less than $150 each.

• Distributed for free nearly 46 million Internet Essentials program materials.

• Broadcast more than 7 million public service announcements, valued at more than $90 million.

• Welcomed more than 3.5 million visitors to the Internet Essentials websites in English and Spanish and its Online Learning Center.

• Fielded more than 3.2 million phone calls to our Internet Essentials call center.

• Offered Internet Essentials to nearly 48,000 schools and more than 5,000 school districts, in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

• Partnered with 9,000 of community-based organizations, government agencies, and federal, state, and local elected officials to spread the word.

(Advertising Supplement)

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY O c TO b E R 2 , 20 1 5

Help us BOX A SMILE for 3,000 kids this Christmas

THE LBC Foundation, in cooperation with Project Pearls, aims to move love this Christmas through its project BOX A SMILE. The LBC Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of LBC Express. Together with Project PEARLS, a non-profit organization, whose vision of seeking to protect and provide the basic human rights of the poorest of the poor children in the Philippines, BOX A SMILE will be launched on October 1, 2015.

Box A Smile is a project that aims to deliver a Happy Christmas to children in poverty in the Philippines. LBC Customers from North America who sends a box via sea or air from October 1 to November 30, 2015 may elect to participate in the program, where a portion of their transaction fees will be donated to Box A Smile. The funds raised will be used to give Christmas gifts to beneficiary children at a gifting event (Christmas party) organized

by Project Pearls. LBC Foundation is targeting to collate 3,000 Christmas Gift Boxes.

Come December 2015, the Bocaue, Bulacan, Zambales will be distribution of Christmas Gift held.

Boxes to children aged 4-14yo in With this, we encourage your underprivileged areas of Helping participation in bringing smiles to Land, Tondo, Manila, Brgy. Batia,

Begin the Beguine...

From Page 3 were serving for breakfast and the quaint calesa bed, the pleasant people at the reception desk and the efficiently working air conditioning in the Kalesa Room we were billeted in, I would have bolted for other accommodations.

It takes serious money and pigheaded determination to undertake preservation projects on a huge scale. In time, the ancestral homes that line Calle Crisologo will need to be preserved, if they are to be seen by generations yet to come who must be afforded the chance to see bits of our past in order to understand who they are, as a people with a shared history, heritage and distinct personality in the context of an increasingly global world.

children in need. Visit your nearest LBC branch or call 1800-338-5424 for more information on how you can help.

(Advertising Supplement)

constantly grappling with its social, economic and political woes while searching for its soul in waging a The venerable Ayala Family, fight to the death with endemic who understood history, art and corruption from the highest to culture and its collective role in the lowest rungs of government, nation-building, saw this clearly preserving history, art and culture far ahead of anyone else in the will have to stay in the back burner country and did its part through for a very long time. What this Ayala Foundation, decades ago. means for us is that the remaining The legacy lives on in the wellrelics of our history, if we don’t kept Burgos House which is now take the effort today to provide under the auspices of the National for their preservation, will simply Museum. But more needs to get be allowed to crumble to dust and done. There is a certain sense of fade away. urgency in seeing just such a place But enough thinking about — before the passage of time, tomorrow! Today has enough changing mores, priorities and the troubles of its own. For now, there’s inroads of crass commercialism enough yet of Vigan to enjoy just endanger and eventually transform the way it is. (To be continued) these old remnants of our history *** into just a memory, preserved only Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP in history and travel books. of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send Sadly, under present comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ conditions with the country asianjournalinc.com

PIDCI elections on Oct. 3

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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY O c TO b E R 2 , 20 1 5

Sam Milby: Not your typical ‘Amboy’

By Monet

Lu

As stereotypical as it is, there is some sort of “label” attached to being an “Am-Boy” (American boy) or a “Fil-Am” (Filipino-American). some would have it that most of these “hybrid” Pinoys usually come off as arrogant or entitled. Which is why it is not only surprising – but such a relief to know – that one of their kind is totally the opposite of what we described as the typical Amboy. I am of course talking about the very humble and down-to-earth rockstar, sam Milby. sam Lloyd Lacia Milby was born and raised in Troy, Ohio. Milby is the youngest son of Filipina Elsie Lacia who hails from surigao, Philippines and American entrepreneur, Lloyd Milby. Not many people know that one of Milby’s first big break is in a toothpaste commercial in 2005. He later on became more famous as one of the housemates of Pinoy Big Brother in the same year.

One of his earlier media appearances is in the music video of “Just A smile” by Barbie Almalbis, which was used to promote that toothpaste product.

As a housemate in the ‘Big Brother’s house, Milby, for me, is the most charming. Rumor has it that his fans intentionally voted him out of the house so that he would exit sooner and they can finally meet him in person.

Milby was defeated by his fellow housemate, Jayson Gainza during their one-on-one eviction. Right after his exit from the PBB house, countless movie and television offers poured in, and he was later hailed as the newest “heartthrob” of Philippine Cinema.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this young man. some say that Milby is low profile and easy

Sam Milby

to get along with. It is no wonder that he is the most famous among his PBB counterparts. He headlined the romantic comedy “Kahit Konting Pagtingin,” opposite Angeline Quinto (also starring Paulo Avelino) on ABs-CBN, he starred in his first antagonist role as Eros in the dark melodrama “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” with Kc Concepcion & Judy Ann santos. Milby also finished “Death March”, his fourth independently produced film (Cannes Film Festival entry) and received good reviews for his action scenes in “Kimmy Dora Ang Kiyemeng Prequel”. He also headlined in “The Gifted” under Viva Films with Anne Curtis & Cristine Reyes.

In 2006, he was launched as a member of all-male group, “Coverboys” with John Lloyd Cruz, Zanjoe Marudo, Rafael Rosell, Victor Basa and Jake Cuenca. From being just another Pinoy Big Brother housemate, the FilipinoAmerican looker has outshined even his own popularity with sold-out concerts and Platinum albums, top-rating TV soaps (including Maging sino Ka Man with John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo and Anne Curtis, which launched his career as a dramatic television actor), blockbuster movies and big product endorsements to

THE Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) elections for President and seven members of the Board of Directors are scheduled at the Philippine Center at 556 Fifth Avenue, between 45th and 46th streets, in Manhattan, New York 10036-5002 on saturday, Oct. 3, from 12pm to 6pm. The PIDCI Committee on Elections 2015 headed by Board Director Raul s. Estrellado has reviewed the Certificates of Candidacy that have been received and is pleased to announce that: Lone candidate for President is Dr. Prospero A. Lim who is currently the PIDCI Vice President. There are ten (10) candidates who are vying for seven (7) seats that are being vacated on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors candidates are: sofia G. Abad (Past Over-all Chair PIDC1994), Joycelyn Aligarbes (President, The Filipino

Ladies Development), Olivia C. David (President, Tarlaquenos, UsA), Rely Manacay (President Cagayan De Oro-Misamis Oriental New York, Inc. (CDO-MisOr New York, Inc), Beth V. Manalo (President, Carinosa, UsA), Ronie L. Mataquel (President, Unified Federation of Fil-Am Educators (UNIFFIED), Violeta M. McGough (President, JAsHs ’78 UsA), Fernando Mendez (President, Philippine Fiesta UsA), Edilberto M. Olimpo (Past President, Philippine-American Civic and Cultural Community of staten Island PACCCsI) and shiran Ybanez (Charter President. Cebuanos Engaging in Building Unity (CEBU).

The PIDCI plans, organizes, produces, executes, manages, directs and presents the annual commemoration of Philippine Independence in New York City.

This includes the Independence Day Parade, street Fair and Cultural

his name. He is a regular stay in the sunday musical variety show, A.s.A.P. since 2007 up to present, and a member of ABs-CBN’s elite circle of homegrown talents, star Magic co-managed by Cornerstone Entertainment Inc. Milby has also won several acting awards and this has only made Dr. Prospero A. Lim, candidate For President the young actor more grateful and 2015-2016 driven to improve his craft. In fact, Festival, the Mrs. Kalayaan and he is one of the few Filipino actors Diwa Ng Kalayaan Pageants, the who ventured into Hollywood.

PIDCI Grand Marshal Gala and Milby has been taking acting the Philippine Independence Ball. classes and trying out his charm The PIDCI member organizations and talent for a chance at Hollyare highly encouraged to exercise wood. While this is not impossible, their right to vote on election day.

I am sure that his fans from the – October 3, 2015.

Philippines would definitely miss Candidates for Board of Directors him if he everything worked out for him in the Us. Aside from being an actor, commercial model, and recording artist, Milby is a jack-of-all-trades.

His hobbies include motocross, hockey, figure skating, tennis, golf, playing guitar, and singing. sam Milby proved to be one of those Fil-Ams who does not need to have “attitude” in order Sofia G. Abad Joycelyn S. Aligarbes Olivia C. David Rely Manacay Beth V. Manalo to get attention. He worked hard for everything he has achieved in the industry and does not rely on the fact that his accent gives away his pure American blood. I have to say that even though PBB are receiving flak for their notorious display of “real-life norms”, they did one thing right in introducing this fine young Am-boy who may Fernando Mendez Edilberto M. Olimpo Shiran Ybanez look “Am-boy” on the outside but VIoleta M. McGough Ronie L. Mataquel definitely a humble “Juan” on the inside.

Proser will join Queens Library Good luck on your career, From Page 2 to discuss the stunning gold innovation. sam. treasures from the Philippines that Chinese Art and Material Culture saturday, Oct. 21, 6pm: *** are not only historically significant, at the Bard Graduate Center in Designer sale Event: Bea Valdes Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardbut which demonstrate a rich New York; Amy G. Poster, Curator Handbags & Jewelry. winning celebrity beauty stylist with his cultural heritage. Before the Valdes takes inspiration own chain of Monet Salon salons across Emerita, Asian Art, Brooklyn spanish colonized the Philippines, from various cultures, sourcing Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Museum and Interim Consulting little-known kingdoms flourished materials, and ideas from around Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around Gallery Director, Japan society in the region. Philippine Gold: and Cherubim Quizon, Associate the world for her distinctive, artiste who produces sold-out fashion and Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms, luxury accessories while awards shows as well as unforgettable Professor of Anthropology, seton on display this fall at Asia continuing to shine a light on the marketing campaigns. Monet is also the Hall University. society, showcases recently Fridays in October, 8pm: On Philippines as a design hub as founder of the revolutionary all-natural excavated objects that highlight she supports local artisans and beauty products such as Enlighten, your Fridays in October, Join us Friday the unprecedented creativity, nights at Asia society for free their craftsmanship.

Bea Valdes solution to discoloration. To contact Monet, prosperity and sophisticated grew up in Manila, in a family please visit www.monetsalon.com or email museum admission and a pop-up metalworking tradition of the food bar featuring local Filipino that has been in the fine jewelry him at monetsalon@aol.com precolonial period. This program guest chefs! You can get your trade for three generations. is part of the “Asia society in Filipino food fix at the Pop-Up Having studied creative writing Queens” series, a partnership with Filipino Food Bar. Free Museum and interior design, Bea went on Queens Library. admission Appetizers and small to specialize in interior design, Monday, Oct. 24, 8pm: Ma-Yi plates with wine/beer, available creating accessories as a hobby. performs “Alamat: stories of for purchase.

Her designs quickly caught the Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6pm: This eye of discerning women seeking Philippine Gold” at Asia society. fall marks the second year of something distinctively luxurious. Using movement, songs, and a truly impactful Asia society As an artist and writer, Bea weaves a striking visual style, Ma-Yi Theater Company has created a event — the Asia Game Changer stories into her collections. Her compelling evening of theater Awards and Gala Dinner at the pieces are not just accessories, that retraces the evolution of United Nations. Asia society will but “symbols of a heroic feminine honor the dreamers and leaders narrative.” Taking inspiration from Philippine Gold as uniquely of our world making a positive various cultures, Bea has received Filipino. Written for the stage by Ralph B. Pena, “Alamat: stories of impact on the future of Asia at the global recognition as a creative Philippine Gold” tells the story United Nations. This year Manny architect of distinctive luxury of gold before colonization by Pacquiao — philanthropist, goods. Bea designs and world famous professional boxer, produces her pieces in her Manila the West. “Alamat” is the Filipino word for legend or folktale. The and member of the Philippines based studio, working with Philippines is rich with these House of Representatives — has modern Filipino artisans. she mythical tales that are unique been selected as the 2015 Asia maintains a focus on traditional to each region of the country.

Game Changer of the Year! The embroidery, supporting local The Ilocanos, the Tagalogs, Asia Game Changer Awards artisans and their craftsmanship, the Visayans, the peoples of are designed to fill a vital gap, while shining a light on the Maguindanao all have unique identifying and honoring true Philippines as a design hub. stories about how this precious leaders making a positive saturday, Oct. 21, 6:30metal has become part of their contribution to the future of 7:30pm, Queens: There is a FREE collective stories. Based on Asia. These inspiring men and Asia society in Queens Event. stories compiled by Mabel Cook women represent the spectrum The Curator Talk: Philippine Gold: Cole’s “Philippine Folk Tales,” of achievement – those who have Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms Alamat weaves together various led from positions of power, as will take place at the Queens indigenous myths about creation, well as those who have done so Library at 41-17 Main street in from ground - level laboratories of Flushing, Queens. Dr. Adriana Continued on Page 7

Golden Nuggets...

PACCAL confers Award of Distinction...

From Page 4 Campaign of Greater New York Diversity Committee Transgender Engagement Team.

Steven Raga - Community Service steven Raga is a Multicultural Leadership & Political Consultant for AARP where he was previously their National Urban Fellow. He serves as the NY state Chairperson for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Board Chair of Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro), and the Director for Community Affairs at the Forest Hills Asian Association.

His community work began as a student, where he was the National Chairman for the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) and President of the society for Asian American Graduate Affairs at Cornell University. An innately born leader with prolific ideas for community development, steven Raga is a committed advocate for social equality and good governance. soledad G. Dela Merced, MsN, RN, CCRN – Nursing Profession A professional nurse, nurse leader, and educator, soledad (sally) Dela Merced made

significant impact on the lives of many through numerous services at local, national, and international nursing events.

Aside from her Master of science in Nursing (MsN) and a Doctor in Nursing Practice (DNPc) candidate from Rutgers University, sally is a Certified Critical Nurse (CCRN) working as a staff / charge nurse at the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of the University Hospital (formerly UMDNJ) in Newark, NJ sally serves as a mentor to newly hired staff nurses and goes above and beyond her role collaborating with other healthcare members to improve patient care. Always a dynamic and indefatigable supporter of the Phillipine Nurses Association of New Jersey (PNANJ), she has served as a member of the association’s Executive Board (2007-present), National secretary (2012-2014), and current President of Essex County Chapter. Blissfully married to Dr. Bernie Dela Merced and blessed with 2 children, Golda Bernadette and Bernardo Lorenzo, sally also volunteers in various medical-surgical missions to the Philippines aside, of course, from working with civic, socio-cultural Fil-Am organizations in the east coast.

Arland Macasieb – Endurance Domination Arland Macasieb is a pioneer for Filipino Americans in endurance sports. He is a threetime National Triathlon Champion of the Philippines (swimming, cycling and running), a two-time south East Asian Games Bronze Medalist in Triathlon, a four-time Boston Marathon Finisher, and a twenty five- time Ironman Triathlon finisher (2.4 mile swim, 112, mile bike, 26.2 mile run). A Philippine record holder for the Ironman Triathlon as well the National Hour Record for Cycling, Arland, in addition to his athletic CV, he is also the founder and CEO of the Filipino American Triathlon Club which is the largest Filipino Triathlon Club in the world with close to 400 members. This year, with the help of PACCAL, he conceptualized and produced the first ever santacruzan 5K run and the Manila Avenue Mile run/walk which drew over 270 runners from all over the east coast to Jersey City this past May. His vision is to inspire Filipinos of all ages to follow their passions, adopt healthier lifestyles, and to build Filipino American Community Continued on Page 7

Billy Crawford not competing with Luis Manzano

by Bot

Glorioso

Philstar.com

MANILA—Billy Crawford will indubitably become the most visible artist on ABS-CBN every Saturday when he begins his hosting chores on Celebrity Playtime. If you are wondering why, it is simply because Billy will be hosting three shows on that day beginning with It’s Showtime during lunchtime. Then he returns on-cam right before Home Sweetie Home airs for Celebrity Playtime and by dinnertime, you will still see him do the talking in Your Face Sounds Familiar.

And since he is known as a singer-actor first than a host, curious minds have begun to wonder if he is trying to compete with Luis Manzano who has more than proven his worth with the number of game shows he successfully handled. Billy quips, “Si Luis po kasi magta-tackle na s’ya ng singing and dancing; gusto na nya yun ang path nya so mag-papalit talaga kami, hahaha.”

Kidding aside, Billy considers

also proves that there’s really no patalbugan (showdown between us) or comparison whatever. In fact, we were together during the (Kapamilya) trade launch as hosts.”

Speaking of competition, Billy chooses to keep mum on the ongoing rivalry between Eat, Bulaga and It’s Showtime due to their respective “talk of the town” items AlDub and Pastillas Girl. AlDub is the popular team-up of Maine Mendoza a.k.a. Yaya Dub and Alden Ricahards which was accidentally Billy Crawford will make Saturdays more formed in the Juan for All and All entertaining and fun as he hosts ABS-CBN’s for Juan segment. Pastillas Girl, on latest game show “Celebrity Playtime.” the other hand, is Angelica Jane Luis as his mentor. They co-hosted Yap whose wish to find a new love the previous editions of Pilipinas became a trending topic and, later Got Talent, which is also set to on, a segment in It’s Showtime. make a comeback soon. Thus, any “I think this is not the right competition between the two is time for me or the venue to speak far from happening. Besides, Billy what’s happening between the believes his style is much different two networks especially kung di from Luis. “Talagang mag-kaiba ko kasama ang mga kapatid ko sa kami ni Luboy (as he fondly calls Showtime. So we’re just here to Luis). But Luis is really admirable actually still enjoy what we do and as a host and because we’re really we really enjoy what we do every close friends, I am not ashamed day because our goal is to simply to ask help or tips from him. That make people happy.”

Ai-Ai de las Alas proves her naysayers wrong

by AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

AI-AI de las Alas’ transfer to GMA 7 earlier this year was met with mixed reactions, with some critics saying that her move wasn’t good for her career. But with the surprising success of Sunday PinaSaya, the new weekly variety show she’s currently part of, the comedienne said she was glad that she was proving her naysayers wrong.

“I’m actually quite thankful to my detractors because they inspire me to work harder. You can’t put a strong woman down,” Ai-Ai told the Inquirer at a press conference. “I always do my best to be a good person and I never stopped praying. I believe this is God’s grace.”

Sunday noontime programs were traditionally focused on music and dance. Sunday PinaSaya, however, veered from the formula, and instead offered live comedy skits and games— something different for the said time slot.

And the reception so far has been generally encouraging.

So encouraging, in fact, that its counterpart on ABS-CBN, the long-running ASAP, has started introducing similarly-wired sketches.

Institution “We knew that we’re competing against an institution, but I try not to worry about it too much. Our goal is to make people happy, and I think you can’t go wrong with that,” said Ai-Ai, who’s joined in the show by Marian Rivera and Eat Bulaga’s Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Alden Richards.

“It’s a blessing to have this show; it’s well-planned and carefully pieced together. And its good showing is due to a lot of factors—timing being the most crucial,” she pointed out.

Meanwhile, aside from Sunday PinaSaya, the actress likewise shares hosting duties with Joey de Leon and Lolit Solis in CelebriTV, an entertainment-comedy magazine show, which replaced “Startalk.” It premiered on Sept. 19.

“I bring in the laughs, of course. I do some fun challenges with guest celebs, too,” Ai-Ai said.

Jericho Rosales

Golden Nuggets...

From Page 6 nature, and tribal histories.

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 12Noon: Designer Sale Event: Rafe Totengco Minaudiere Clutches.

Totengco melds quality with style in his signature evening bags, featuring indigenous Filipino materials that blend an uptown sophistication with a downtown edge. Rafé Totengco is recognized in the industry as being one of the most acclaimed of a new generation of AmericanInternational fashion designers.

His fresh, exciting accessories blend an uptown sophistication with a downtown edge. Skilled at balancing fashion with function, Rafé is a designer who knows how to meld quality with style

and comfort with function.

Rafé accessories add a finishing “exclamation point” to any ensemble.

Friday, Oct. 30, 8PM: Voicing The Ancestral Sacred: Grace Nono and Ensemble.

Grace Nono is one of the most renowned female vocalists in the Philippines. She hails from the area in the Southern Philippines where the Butuan kingdom was located. Nono champions traditional Filipino music while simultaneously striving to make traditions accessible to a new generation.

Today, a growing number of younger generation Filipinos and Filipino descendants both in the homeland and in the diaspora are

through the medium of sport.

Iris Zalun – Young Professional Iris Zalun is currently the Secretary of the Board of Directors of Unity for Progress (UniPro), a Queens-based nonprofit whose mission is to engage FilipinoAmericans through collaboration, advocacy, and education. Her community involvement started during her undergraduate career at Fordham University when she held leadership positions in both Fordham University PhilippineAmerican Club (FUPAC) and the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) while majoring in English and Theology. She joined UniPro in 2010 and since then has served as its Summit Co-Chair, Vice-President, and most recently, 2014-2015 President. In her capacity as the lady in a totem pole, together

with the Executive Board, several initiatives were directed such as the Opportunity Fair (offering career guidance to students and young professionals; the Liberty Festival (celebrating the community’s creative voices); the Annual Summit (where 150 delegates discussed the meaning of solidarity); and saw the expansion of UniPro into a national organization with new chapters in San Diego, Seattle, and Chicago.

Geo Ed Rebucas – Vocal Diversity From his adventurous and topsy-turvy experience penetrating Pinoy Got Talent Season 3 that opened doors and opportunities for him, Geo Ed Rebucas has incredibly journeyed far and broad from where he humbly started… aptly armed nothing but only with his gifted voice and a keen determination to make it big on his own. Born

Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS O c tO b e r 3

Philippine Heritage Institute International Presents Tribute 2015 The legacy of Naomi Palma-Armada, who died of a heart attack June 10, lives on.

On October 3, from 6pm to midnight, the Philippine Heritage Institute International (PHII), a private non-profit foundation founded by Naomi in 1989, will present Tribute 2015: White House Millennium Council Award to Outstanding Filipino American Nurses (on its 17th year) and President’s Award: Profiles of Service, Pillars of Community (on its 8th year) at the Sheraton Cerritos Hotel (12725 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, CA 90703). Parking for the event is free. Attire: Formal or Filipiniana. Music provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For more information, contact president Josie E. de Jesus (714) 272-0300; joestarisdejesus@gmail. com, or event chair Norma Merza (562) 947-0248; norma.merza@yahoo.com.

Please join us at the Carson Library (151 E. Carson St. Carson, CA 90745) on Oct 3rd, from 1-4pm, at the Carson Library to hear stories of individuals from the books, “Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay” and “Hawaiians in Los Angeles.” Join with FANHS-LA Chapter, the Filipino American Library, Friends of the Carson Library, APALA, and other community leaders as we celebrate October as Filipino American History Month and the birthday of Larry Itliong, one of the main organizers of the 1965 UFW Delano Grape Strike. There will also be a screenings of Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the UFW, and America Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii; both are educational documentary films about the Filipino and Hawaiian experience in America. This is a FREE event with a talk, book signings by the authors, and light refreshments afterwards. For more information and to RSVP, please contact roseeibanez@ gmail.com.

Fil-Am History Month Kick-Off The 2015 Filipino American History Month celebration in Carson will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3rd from 12 to 4pm at the South Bay Pavilion (20700 Avalon Blvd, Carson, CA 90746).

Organized by the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce South Bay Los Angeles (FACCSLAA), the event headlines musical entertainment, business vendors, networking, exhibits, an immigration panel, and health and fitness activities. Special performances by Malou Toler, Mon Concepcion, Sara Mislang, Cecile and Mighty Show, and with host Gee Gee Starr. For more information on the FilAm History Month in Carson, please 310.748.9688, or South Bay Pavilion at 310.366.6629.

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Kultura: A Filipino American Food & Arts Festival AI-AI de las Alas describes new show as a “blessing.”

at the moment, but this doesn’t stop him from discovering new things to try.

He believes that doing new things from time to time helps him become a better actor and person.

“I challenge myself,” he said.

“They say na there’s this natural ability in you na kumbaga kung ‘yon ang gagamitin mo you can be successful. But if you try to do something na hindi ka sanay or not good at, you actually become better at it.” (Philstar.com) rediscovering and revisiting what remains of these ancestral sonic landscapes. They are reclaiming these voices’ sacredness as points of communion between ancestors and offspring, and between peoples from different ancestries coming together in the spirit of dialogue and mutual respect.

In “Voicing the Ancestral Sacred,” we witness a gathering of ancestrally-informed voices from selected areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (the Philippines’ three island clusters); indigenous, Muslim, and Christian populations; hinterland, rural and urban communities. Fragments of these sonic landscapes will be recontextualized within a new urban landscape. We invite you to listen, as well as break open the walls of your ears, hearts, and minds.

PACCAL confers Award of Distinction...

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Fil-Am History Month Films & “Talk Story” Time

Jericho Rosales not in a rush to have baby with Kim Jones MANILA— Jericho Rosales is in no rush to have a baby with wife Kim Jones.

The couple was married last year, and later became busy with their respective careers. “‘Yan ang reason bakit hindi pa kami ngkaka-baby,” he said referring to their busy schedules. “For now I just want to give Kim the best that I can give and for me that’s to support her career.”

Meanwhile, the Kapamilya actor is happy with how his career is going

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An Asian Journal Magazine

to a family of singers from Pagadian City and now NY-based, the Nursing graduate with a Mariah Carrey vocal dead-ringer whose claim to fame was his divergent singing capability, could impressively perform effectively with both his falsetto and head voices without any sort of glitch in between. Despite the copious exposures in doing the rounds of practically every entertainment venue and watering hole in the tri-state area and meeting his head-spinning in-demand schedules while working in a beauty establishment in Jersey City, hardworking Geo’s huge life-changing plan remains a motivated obsession --- to review and take the Nursing Board exam then work as a fulltime nurse and still doing what he does best… singing with distinctive falsetto style.

Kultura Festival, an all-ages, contemporary Filipino-American food and arts festival, will take place in Logan Square’s Emporium Arcade Bar in Chicago on Sunday, October 4, from 11 AM to 6 PM. Presented by Filipino Kitchen, this festival is carefully curated to appeal to those who personally identify with Filipino culture, food, and those who are curious or uninitiated. With a craft beer bar, food trucks, special guest chefs, and an expected 2,000 festival guests and staff, Kultura Festival aims to highlight the best of Filipino cuisine to Chicago and the Midwest. Tickets can be purchased for $10 general admission at https://ti.to/filipino-kitchen/kultura-festival, $5 for students and seniors. More information can be found at http://filipino.kitchen/kulturafestival.

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LA Builder Lions Club 25th Anniversary The Los Angeles Builder Lions Club will celebrate their 25th Anniversary and Annual Outstanding Parents Night on October 10, 2015 at the Almansor Court banquet hall (700 S Almansor St, Alhambra, CA 91801). Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band.

For further questions, please call Lion Bill Menor (323) 465-0613, Lion Yoli Ramo (213) 3051332, chairpersons or Lion Tita James, co-chair at (818) 203-2325.

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Legionarios del Trabajo in America Triennial Convention The Legionarios del Trabajo in America, Inc. will hold its 18th Triennial Convention, October 15-18, 2015, at the Clarion Inn and Suites in Stockton, CA (4219 Waterloo Rd, Stockton, CA 95215). For more information, please contact Cora Gines at (209) 957-0217 / (209) 4065438, or Elena Gabriel at (209) 598-1436.

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UNITED LAB-USA 32nd Anniversary The UNITED LAB-USA will celebrate their 32nd Anniversary on Saturday, October 17, 2015 at Royal Garden in Cerritos. The association is headed by Rey Guieb, President. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For other questions, please call Felix Belen, outgoing president at (626) 839-0736.

UERMMMC - Medical Alumni Association Inaugural Ball The University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center - Medical Alumni Association of Southern California (UERMMMC - MAASC ), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation which participates in many humanitarian projects and medical missions to barangays in the Philippines, will hold its Inaugural Ball and Dinner=Dance on October 17, 2015 at the Manhattan Beach Marriott (1400 Parkview Avenue; Manhattan Beach, CA 90266). Proceeds from the event will benefit underserved areas and families in Lucena, Quezon and District 2 of Pampanga (Lubao, Sasmuan, Guagua, Floridablanca) who are in need of medical and surgical care. The theme of the Inaugural Ball will be “A Black and White Event.” The evening starts at 6:00pm. Tickets are $90 per person and are tax deductible; VIP packages ranging from $500 and up are also available. For more information, please call Dr. Teri Pastor at 310-707-8480, Gloria Legaspi at 951-496-0536 and Lucy Babaran at 818-395-9348. We thank our guests and sponsors for their generous support!

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Paco Catholic High School Class of 1964 Reunion sa Amerika” at the Gold Coast Casino & Hotel (4000 Flamingo Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89103) in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 25-27, 2015. Reminisce with your schoolmates from 50+ years ago and re-live memorable high school days! Reconnect with your old friends and make some new ones! This is the first reunion gathering in the US since our 50th grand reunion. For more information, please contact: Dan Hidalgo - danielh616@hotmail.com; tel. (914) 3100864 / (914) 740-7028. Ester Tadeo Celestino - cesarucelestino@yahoo.com; tel. (201) 4330727/ (551) 574-8511. Minda Cuario Cameron - meandatwo@aol.com; tel. (813) 633-5642. Ed Bondoc - bondoced@yahoo.com; tel. (415) 342-9877. Gertrudes “Nette” Descallar Collyer - mycolly@roadrunner.com; tel. (818) 767-8175.

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Calapan Central High School Reunion Please save the date for the 60th anniversary year of Calapan Central School in Oriental Mindoro.

Where: Oakland, CA When: November 1-3, 2015.

Contact: Luz Yu (luz_yu@yahoo.com)

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

An Asian Journal Magazine

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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY OcTObER 2, 2015