Orange County/Inland Empire -- August 21 -- 27, 2015

ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE

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Enrile out on bail, says his faith in justness of Judiciary vindicated

by Marc Jayson

cayaByaB

Inquirer.net

After one year in hospital detention, senator Juan Ponce enrile is now a free man—for now.

Leaving his detention place in the Philippine National Police (PNP) General hospital at 5:55pm on thursday, Aug. 20, the 91-year-old senator arrived at the sandiganbayan at 6:30pm to appear for the application of his P1.45 million bail as he faces trial for plunder over the pork barrel scam.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile left his detention place in the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital on “today I’ve been released out of Thursday, Aug. 20. the 91-year-old senator went to the Sandiganbayan to appear for the application of his P1.45 million bail as he faces trial for plunder over the pork barrel scam.

Inquirer.net photo custody. I would like to state for the

DATELINE

USA

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

New app aims to push Asian American voter participation in 2016 for the 50th anniversary of the Voting rights Act, 18 million rising, an Asian American digital activist group, launched a new Indiegogo campaign to create a translation matching app designed to increase voter participation in next year’s presidential elections. the mobile app, called VoterVoX, is described as “one part civic tech, one part grassroots organizing, and three parts cultural connection.”

VoterVoX seeks to connect multilingual Asian Americans with voters in their communities needing language assistance in order to address continuing language barriers facing Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) at the polls and resultant voter disenfranchisement.

According to recent studies, AAPIs are three times more likely than Latinos to cite language barrier as a reason for not voting.

“Nearly half of all adult AAPIs are PAGE A3

Estimated $2.74 billion cost of California drought the worsening drought in California will cause the state’s economy to lose as much as $2.74 billion and nearly 21,000 total jobs this year--and ripple effects of the 4-year-old drought will likely continue through at least 2017, according to a study released on tuesday, Aug. 18. the report, authored by the University of California, Davis Center for Watershed sciences, also revealed that direct costs to the state’s agriculture economy will total $1.84 billion and 10,100 direct seasonal jobs. the $2.74 billion figure reflects the cost to all economic sectors, and when multiple effects are considered.

“Increased prices for crops will give a boost to some farmers in areas less affected by the drought and with access to groundwater,” according to the authors of the study.

“Central Coast and southern California regions benefit from slightly PAGE A3

record that my faith in the probity and justness of our Judiciary has been vindicated,” enrile said in a brief interview.

“I would go back to my work and have no interest except the interest of our country,” he added.

Clerk of Court third Division Atty.

Dennis Pulma signed the release order served on the accused party. meanwhile, Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-tang approved the bail application.

Pulma said enrile’s bail is only for his provisional release as he still faces trial for plunder for his alleged in-

volvement in the scheme of spending his Priority Development Assistance funds (PDAf) to ghost projects for kickbacks. enrile’s lawyers paid the P1.45 million bail in 14 bundles of P100,000 cash, each counted with the aid of a machine at the sandiganbayan cashier. the bail was paid after the sandiganbayan issued the produce order instructing the police to bring enrile to court for the processing of his bail application for plunder case filed against him, ordinarily a non-bailable offense.

PAGE A2

VP Binay laments demolition job in Senate

by Bernice

caMiLLe V. ManilaTimes.net

Banson

the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on thursday, Aug. 20 lamented the “demolition job” during the senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing on the alleged ghost beneficiaries of the senior citizen program in makati City.

“Demolition Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay through PowerInquirer.net photo point, as always.

We heard nothing but half-truths that will not stand in court but are intended for media consumption,” Joey salgado, head of Binay’s media affairs, said in a statement. he denied Arthur Cruto’s allegations that there were ghost beneficiaries of the senior citizen’s proPAGE A3

REMEMBERING FPJ. Sen. Grace Poe lights a candle to commemorate the 76th birth anniversary of her father Fernando Poe Jr. at the Manila North Cemetery on Thursday, Aug. 20. Poe said she always tries to follow the footsteps of her late father. The senator, however, clarified that following her father’s footsteps does not necessarily include his decisions such as running for president.

Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban

Iglesia ni Cristo poll: Roxas has no chance of winning

by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

Viray

mANILA—majority of the members of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) believe that Interior and Local Government secretary manuel “mar” roxas II does not have a chance of winning the presidency in the 2016 national election.

A survey conducted last week, by INC-owned television station Net 25 showed that 93.3 percent of the respondents believe roxas will not become the next president. meanwhile, only 6.9 percent of the respondents said that the Liberal Party presumptive presidential candidate has a chance of winning.

Candidates of any national position

usually seek the support of the indigenous religious organization during the election season, believing that the church’s block vote would help them win. INC has around two million members.

According to a report from Pilipino star Ngayon, INC does not seem to favor roxas despite the endorsement of President Benigno Aquino III. sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay dominate the latest Pulse Asia and social Weather stations presidential preference polls while roxas ranks either third or fourth. the INC television network has not yet conducted surveys on other possible presidential bets.

Overseas voters registration breaches .6M mark

by Pia Lee-Brago

six registration centers were opened at the DfA’s consular offices in Davao, mANILA—two months before the Cebu and san fernando, Pampanga deadline, the overseas voters (oV) reg- and DfA satellite offices at robinsons istration has surpassed the 600,000 Galleria, sm manila and Ali mall last mark. month, in addition to nine centers prothe Department of foreign Affairs cessing applications of overseas filipiyesterday said the oV secretariat re- no workers, immigrants, seafarers and ported that foreign service posts pro- students who are leaving for abroad, cessed 249,512 new oV registrants but have not yet registered as oVs. from the middle east and Africa; Last June, the irehIstro online sys123,993 from the Americas; 68,124 tem was also launched, which allows from europe and 91,088 from Asia and registrants to schedule their personal the Pacific, while overseas voter regis- appearance at the embassy, consulate, tration centers in the Philippines pro- mission or mobile and field registration cessed 68,106 applications.

PAGE A2 Philstar.com

Customs to impose tighter rules for balikbayan boxes

by KathLeen

Martin

Philstar.com

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas

Malacañang photo

mANILA—the Bureau of Customs said it may impose tougher measures on balikbayan boxes for fear that these taxfree packages are being used by traders to smuggle goods into the country. “the existing rules are obsolete and we may have to reassess our coordination and processes with consolidators for stricter and improved compliance,” Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said in a statement.

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“our spot checks from several warehouses show how misconstrued the rules may have become. People are sending in used clothing, home appliances and items of the same kind that can well be used for commercial purposes,” he said.

Lina recounted that some items inside these balikbayan boxes could be considered as smuggled goods due to noncompliance with the Philippine tariff and Customs Code.

PAGE A2

A

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From the Front Page

Enrile out on bail, says his faith...

PAGE A1

Enrile posted bail after the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday in a vote of 8-4 granted his motion to reverse the Sandiganbayan Third Division’s ruling, which denied his bail plea.

The decision came exactly a week after the SC sided with Enrile’s request for bill of particulars in the plunder case

stemming from his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

The Supreme Court set the bail amount at P1 million. On top of the P30,000 bail for each of his 15 graft charges, Enrile paid a total amount of P1.45 million.

Enrile went to the Supreme Court after the Sandiganbayan

Third Division last year denied his motion that he be allowed to post bail.

In his 70-page petition for certiorari filed Sept. 4, 2014, Enrile said he should be allowed to post bail since the prosecution failed to present strong evidence against him and that the charges “cannot be considered a capital offense.”

At the same time, Enrile said he is not a “flight risk considering that he even voluntarily surrendered to the authorities when the warrant for his arrest was issued by the anti-graft court.

He also cited his advanced age as another reason for the SC to grant his petition.

Enrile is under hospital detention while his chief of staff Atty.

Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes is detained at the female dormitory of Camp Bagong Diwa as they face plunder and 15 counts of graft for their alleged involvement in the purported scheme of pilfering the senator’s Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to ghost projects for kickbacks.

According to the financial records of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy, Enrile received P172.8 million in kickbacks from Napoles, who referred to Enrile as “Tanda” in the use of codenames for the alleged scam.

The witnesses had also testified that they personally saw Napoles hand over Enrile’s kickbacks to his alleged agent Ruby Tuason.

State witness Tuason, a socialite and social secretary of former President Joseph Estrada, has said she delivered kickbacks for Enrile from Napoles through Enrile’s chief of staff Reyes over lunch meetings in posh restaurants.

Tuason said Enrile sometimes fetched Reyes and invited them for coffee after these supposed lunch meetings.

Accused mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles is serving life sentence for the serious illegal detention of her former entrusted financial officer Benhur Luy, who turned against her when he was detained by the businesswoman over suspicions he was starting his own scam.

BalikBayan boxes are duty and tax-free packages designed for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sending home gifts to their families. However, it should always be noted that these packages have limitations, such as contents not exceeding $500 in value, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said. inquirer.net photo

Customs to impose tighter rules for...

PAGE A1 Some packages were found to be “spilling with undervalued items and under-declared contents” during the bureau’s spot checks, he said.

Balikbayan boxes are duty and tax-free packages designed for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sending home gifts to their families, the BOC said.

However, it should always be noted that these packages have limitations, such as contents not exceeding $500 in value, Lina said.

“Canned goods, grocery items and other household effects must not exceed a dozen a kind, while apparel whether used or new must not exceed three yards per cut,” Lina said.

He added that one consignment per sender during a onemonth period is allowed.

These packages should also not contain any banned or regulated firearms and ammunition, prohibited drugs, pornographic material and gambling material.

“Home appliances are not al-

lowed unless these are consigned to returning Filipino residents and overseas contract workers. We will seize these prohibited shipments and revoke registrations of forwarders or consolidators if we find any violations,” Lina said.

He further said examination of the shipments is allowed and if a receiver finds any items missing from the packages, he may report this to the proper authorities.

Congressional probe sought Meanwhile, a group of OFWs immediately sought an investigation into the reported plan of the BOC to impose additional taxes on balikbayan boxes and other consolidated shipments.

Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante party-list chair, said Congress must look into this.

According to Regalado, Migrante has received information that the BOC plans to increase clearing fees for all containers entering Philippine ports to as much as P100,000 to P120,000.

She reported that the first increase was actually imposed last July and another will reportedly

be implemented this October.

“What is the reason and rationale for this increase? Why was it imposed despite strong opposition from forwarders and OFWs alike? Where will the added cost go?” Regalado asked.

She said the least the government could do to help the millions of Filipino workers abroad is to stop any money-making schemes that will affect them and their families.

Freight forwarders earlier complained that the BOC has approved an increase of taxes covering all shipments in a consolidated container from P80,000 to P180,000.

The imposition of additional taxes on consolidated shipments should be thoroughly investigated by Congress when legislators hear the agency’s proposed 2016 budget, Regalado said.

She said the additional taxes, which could translate to P325 per balikbayan box, would surely be passed on by the freight forwarders to OFWs. (With Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan)

Overseas voters registration breaches...

PAGE A1

site for biometric registration.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista lauded the efforts of the DFA and Philippine embassies to increase the number of registered overseas Filipino voters.

“I hope we can look into the

possibility of holding these registrations in public areas like malls, public squares and parks, community centers and other suitable places where the host government allows the conduct of election-related activities,” Bautista said. “At the current pace of registration, the 2016

presidential elections will be the first to have over a million active registered overseas voters.

Attaining this goal can definitely be a game changer,” Office of Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, concurrent chairman of DFA-OVS, said.

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OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • AUgUSt 21-27, 2015

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Pacquiao cases head to CA court Calmer temperatures ease Western wildfires PLAINTIFFS who argue the May 2nd boxing match between Filipino champ Manny Pacquiao and undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. was a fraud will get a chance to settle their cases before a federal judge in California.

The long-awaited match, dubbed the “Fight of the Century” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, received 4.4 million viewers who paid up to $100 each to watch on pay-per-view. Disappointed viewers criticized both boxers’ performances, including Mayweather, who won the fight by the judges’ unanimous decision.

Judge R. Gary Klausner, who heard arguments in cases filed last year against Sony Pictures related to a major company cyber-hack, will decide if the Pacquiao cases are granted classaction status before any trial proceeds.

A panel of judges that decides whether to consolidate similar claims brought in different jurisdictions into a single courtroom ruled Friday, August 14 that lawsuits filed in multiple states will be heard in the Central District of California, where Pacquiao was said to injure his shoulder while training for the fight.

Pacquiao, 36, injured his rota-

tor cuff in April during a training exercise. His team did not disclose the injury until hours after the May 2 fight, when Pacquiao said that he re-damaged the shoulder during the fourth round against Mayweather. Nevada Athletic Commission officials have considered fining or suspending Pacquiao for not reporting any injuries on the prefight questionnaire.

The US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation said in its final decision Friday that “determining the severity and timing of the boxer’s rotator-cuff injury could require significant factual, and possibly expert, discovery.”

“Questions about the facts of the case, including for example who knew about the injury, are sufficiently complex to warrant consolidating the large number of related cases,” the panel said.

At least 32 lawsuits had been filed as of mid-May in California, Nevada, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Several more appear to have been filed since.

Pacquiao and his promoter Top Rank Inc. are named in all of the lawsuits, and most also include Mayweather, his promoters, as well as cable companies HBO and Showtime.

The lawsuits argue the injury

by Allyson

Manny Pacquiao AJPress file photo by Andy Tecson

was not revealed until after the May 2 fight, too late for the millions of worldwide viewers who paid to watch it. HBO and Showtime have said they earned more than $400 million total from the fight.

In court filings, attorneys representing Pacquiao and Top Rank have said the claims are without merit.

An attorney for the defendants declined to comment on August 17, as well as representatives for HBO and Showtime.

Each of the boxers earned more than $100 million in a single night. (Allyson Escobar/ AJPress with reports from the Associated Press, BoxingScene. com)

Estimated $2.74 billion cost of...

PAGE A1 higher commodity prices due to decreased production in other parts of the state,” the report stated.

Researchers estimated that the 2015 drought will result in the fallowing of 542,000 irrigated acres, mostly in the state’s Central Valley. An earlier similar UC Davis study estimated around 564,000 acres would be fallowed this year, but the update released Tuesday revised the impact “because water transfers, groundwater pumping and surface water deliveries have changed since our preliminary analysis.”

The recent study sees continued economic impacts through 2016 and 2017, which assumes this year’s water conditions for both years and “a slow decline in the water tables.” It also predicts nearly 550,000 fallowed acres by 2017.

Total crop revenue losses are projected to reach $902 million this year, and the study estimates that total gross revenue losses from crops under a continued drought will increase to nearly

$940 million by 2017, according to CNBC. Additionally, droughtrelated losses for the state’s dairy industry are expected to reach $250 million this year, and another $100 million for the livestock division.

Increased pumping costs of about $587 million also will cut into farm incomes this year, the report stated. It estimated that groundwater pumping has been able to offset roughly 70 percent of the drought water shortage.

However, new water regulations led by California Governor Jerry Brown are going into effect that could curb the ability of farmers to rely on groundwater reserves.

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings released a report examining the impact of the state’s current 25 percent mandatory water cuts on water utilities and found 78 percent of utilities polled indicated that rate adjustments for Californians will be on tap in the next year or have already begun.

Fitch said the water reductions ordered by the state in May and the “short compliance time

frame” that utilities had to adjust led to “revenue challenges and heighten credit risk for California’s retail water utilities. As a result of reduced water sales, many utilities will experience reduced financial margins in fiscals years 2015 and 2016.”

The rating agency forecasts recovery of financial margins in fiscal 2017, even if the severe statewide drought continues.

The median water rate increase next year will be around 5 percent, the Fitch report said, also adding that water rate hikes in some areas could go as high as 31 percent.

Besides rate increases, the report said more than half of the utilities surveyed expect to offset lower revenues by cutting operating expenditures, and 46 percent said they would use financial reserves. 37 percent of the companies also said they would divert from their planned capital spending to help offset the lost revenue, and 2 percent said they would consider debt service restructuring. (With reports from CNBC)

VP Binay laments demolition job...

PAGE A1 gram in Makati City.

“The supposed ‘findings’ presented by Mr. Arthur Cruto are misleading and the conclusions pure conjecture. Dahil unverified ang beneficiary, ghost na kaagad [Because it is unverified, it doesn’t mean it is a ghost beneficiary already],” Salgado said.

There were senior citizens registered in Makati City who remain to be beneficiaries of said city even after moving to other localities.

Cruto allegedly has no objection to this policy, Salgado said, when his own mother remained to be a senior citizen beneficiary in Makati City, even though she moved to Cavite already.

Salgado assured that the senior citizens of Makati really apply and submit documents, and they go through a process of verification.

Benefits are also received personally because Makati City’s Social Welfare Department has a system that delists deceased beneficiaries.

“Assuming without conced-

ing the existence of fake beneficiaries, where is the evidence to show any link to the Vice President? None, because this is another tall tale,” Salgado said. He added that nothing could be expected from a known protégé of former Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado but ‘lies.’

“The Liberal Party and Mercado cabal in Makati are raising ghost issues to deflect public focus from the deteriorating public service and the return of fixing and other forms of corruption at City Hall,” Salgado said.

He then challenged Cruto to execute an affidavit and repeat his statements outside the Senate so that Binay’s camp “can file the appropriate case against him.”

Salgado alleged that the only reason why Cruto was confident of his statements is because the Senate gave him immunity to lie about Binay.

He then addressed Senator Antonio Trillanes 4th, saying that a “death certificate is not proof of corruption.”

If the senior citizen died within the release period for their ben-

EscobAr

OVER the weekend, firefighter crews continued battling against wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in the West and forced hundreds to evacuate.

Calmer weather on Sunday, August 16 helped firefighters tighten their grip on the blazes, but dry, hot temperatures and low humidity is expected in the days ahead.

Temperatures will be five to seven degrees cooler in the early part of week, but will remain hot for most areas in the valleys and mountains, according to the National Weather Service. As highpressure systems over Southern California weakens, clouds, fog, and lower temperature will continue for the rest of the week, with the coolest weather on Thursday, August 20.

In Washington, more crews, including some from the Washington National Guard, are being mobilized in the battle on Monday with several large fires threatening homes in the Chelan area in central Washington. The blazes have destroyed more than 50 structures, forced about 1,500 residents to flee and scorched more than 155 square miles.

Fire incident spokesman Wayne Patterson says air tankers have established lines to keep the flames from reaching downtown Chelan, a popular resort town.

“There were literally people on the beaches near that lake in their swimwear out on the lake right near it,” Patterson said.

In Oregon, higher humidity and lighter winds allowed crews to slow the spread of wildfires burning up eastern Oregon.

A lightning-sparked fire near

John Day has grown to nearly 60 square miles and has destroyed at least 26 homes. Roughly 300 firefighters were assigned to the blaze over the weekend, with more on the way.

Improved weather conditions south of Baker City also helped firefighters make progress on the state’s largest wildfire. The blaze has charred almost 140 square miles and destroyed six homes.

In Colorado, lightning across the northwestern region is suspected of sparking about 30 fires over the weekend, keeping firefighters running from one blaze to another.

Many of the smaller fires have been contained. The largest of the wildfires is the Four Mile Fire, which has burned over 1,000 acres 20 miles north of Craig.

It was 80 percent contained on Monday, August 17.

The Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit says over 4,000 lightning strikes hit northwestern Colorado over the high-temperature weekend.

In California, a large fire north of San Francisco that has been burning for over a week has destroyed nine homes and charred more than 39 square miles But with the improved weather, firefighters are gaining ground against the wildfire, with 85 percent containment reported Monday.

Fire officials say that over the weekend, smoke from the fire drifted into the San Francisco Bay Area and east of the city, where it was trapped in valleys for several days, causing hazy skies and poor air quality.

The fire is the second of two blazes that have charred land area

near the dry Lower Lake. The first one, which was contained Friday after more than two weeks, destroyed 43 homes.

In Southern California, crews working through the night stopped the spread of two Los Angeles County fires that burned several structures, charred hundreds of acres of dry brush and led to the arson arrest of one person.

Three fires in the area simultaneously occurred Saturday and Sunday, with firefighters battling in the triple-digit heat.

A brush fire sparked near a riverbed in Montebello, a suburb east of downtown Los Angeles, halted operations at an oil field and prompted the evacuation of the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. The fire, which grew to about 200 acres, is 60 percent contained on Monday.

Montebello authorities say a 45-year-old homeless man has been arrested on suspicion of arson. The causes of the other two fires were under investigation.

To the north, a wildfire that burned buildings at an abandoned rehabilitation center in rural Castaic has charred about 300 acres in Angeles National Forest.

So far it is 10 percent contained.

Meanwhile, a 2-and-a-halfsquare-mile fire in the forest above the suburbs of Glendora and Azusa is 60 percent contained.

With the triple-digit heat over the weekend, over 2 million visitors steered clear from hometowns and brush fire warning areas, flocking instead to a cool ocean breeze at LA County beaches. (With reports from the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times)

PAGE A1 not comfortable in English (the technical term is limited English proficient), and I want the other 50 percent of us to take initiative in helping them participate fully in civic life,” C.M. Samala, executive director of 18 Million Rising told NBC News.

A new report by Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, entitled “50 Years of the Voting Rights Act: An Asian American Perspective,” found that language assistance is vital to the growing AAPI community, many of whom are immigrants. Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act requires bilingual ballots and assistance at the polls for limited English proficient

voters, but only when the population that speaks a minority language reaches a certain threshold in the community.

As a result, many voters from smaller, less concentrated language groups who need assistance are left out. Section 208, however, allows voters to receive assistance from a person of their choice, and exit polls show that this is a solution many AAPIs utilize.

VoterVOX works by matching a volunteer translator with a voter identified by community groups as needing help understanding the ballot. The volunteer translator meets the voter at a local library or community center, and they go over the voter’s mail-in ballot in

the preferred language. To finish, the voter mails in his or her own ballot, and the volunteer translator uploads his or her ballot translation or technical language notes to share with other volunteer translators.

Samala sees this as just the first step to better engagement for multiple communities.

“As we make democracy accessible in more languages for AAPI communities, we also hope that VoterVOX grows into a platform that all limited English proficient Americans can use to improve access to voting, health care, housing, and other aspects of civic life,” she said. (Allyson Escobar/AJPress with reports from NBC News)

AJPress

efits, the benefits are released to the beneficiary, he explained.

The program is subjected to regular audit by the Commission on Audit (COA), “and there has never been any adverse findings.”

“Pero alam namin na selective kayo sa pagtingin sa COA. Kapag walang makitang mali sa Makati, tinatakot n’yo at tinatawag na sangkot sa cover-up [We know that they are selective in checking with the COA. When they do not find any fault, they try to resort to scaring and alleging that we are included in the cover-up],” Salgado said.

“Kapag pabor sa inyo gaya ng sinabi ng dating COA chair, palakpak kayo. Pero kapag kayo mismo ang sinabihan ng COA na ipaliwanag ang overpriced consultants, sinasabi n’yo na pakana ng oposisyon. Ayos ba sir? [When it’s in your favor, like what former COA chairman mentioned, you applaud it. But when the COA asks you about your overpriced consultants, you say the opposition is behind it.],” Salgado added.

New app aims to push Asian American voter...

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D ateline PhiliPPines MILF apprehensive over

A

proposed new name for BBL

by Alexis

RomeRo

Philstar.com

MANILA—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has reservations over the change of the name of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) in the substitute bills filed in Congress.

In an editorial posted on its website luwaran.com, MILF said rebels and soldiers are aware that BAR also stands for Browning Automatic Rifle used by the United States (US) and other countries during the 20th century.

“The legislators failed to realize how strong the effects of symbolism (are) in determining the mindsets and attitudes of people,” the editorial read.

“By using BAR, it continuously reminds the Moros of their martial history as an unconquered people and the BAR as a very reliable weapon in their wars with government forces in early 70s,” it added.

MILF noted that the BAR, which was originally designed

by John Browning for the US Expeditionary Corps, was also used during the Vietnam War. “The imposed wars from the Spanish period to the advent of the Americans in the 19th cen-

tury and onto the declaration of Martial Law in 1972 have compelled the Moros to defend and arm themselves or perish,” the group said.

“Consequently, as warriors, their psyche is easier to sway to take the path of war than to embrace the so-called path of peace. It is only now under the Aquino dispensation that they see the peace process as genuine,” it added.

The BBL will form a new Bangsamoro entity with greater economic and political powers.

It will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim and Mindanao (ARMM), which President Aquino called “a failed experiment.”

The measure creating the BBL is now being deliberated in Congress. Critics of the measure, however, are questioning some of its provisions including the nature and the extent of the powers of the Bangsamoro government.

MILF also believes that lawmakers are “overstressing what is obvious” when they renamed the measure BAR to emphasize the autonomous character of the entity as part and parcel of the Philippine state.

“They want to erase any hint of so-called sub-state status for the Bangsamoro new entity,

Rallyists appealed to Congress to resume deliberations on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law and not let the January 25 encounter between policemen and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao stifle the now 18-year government-MILF peace deal.

Philstar.com photo by John Unson

Palace on Mar-Noy proposal: Not likely

by KRistine

Angeli Inquirer.net

sAbillo

WILL President Benigno Aquino III accept proposals for him to be Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II’s running mate in the 2016 elections?

Malacañang on Thursday, Aug. 20 said that might not be likely.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said they have yet to ask the President about the proposal of Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga but that Aquino has announced that he will be retiring from the government when he steps down in 2016.

“President Aquino has previously stated that he would like to retire from public office when his term ends at noon of June 30, 2016, and to the best of my knowledge, he has made no comments to the contrary,” Coloma has said.

In previous media interviews,

Aquino joked about enjoying his newfound freedom once he steps down from office.

Barzaga, who is from the administration coalition party National Unity Party, said Aquino running as Roxas’ vice president would be a “dream ticket.”

He pointed out that Aquino’s predecessor Gloria MacapagalArroyo is now Pampanga representative while former President Joseph Estrada is now Manila Mayor.

“The idea of urging the President to be Roxas’ running mate is not far-fetched. PNoy is well loved by the people. A RoxasAquino tandem is going to be a sure-fire winner. It’s going to be unbeatable,” Barzaga has said.

Roxas, who was endorsed by Aquino as standard-bearer of ruling Liberal Party, is still looking for a running mate. Senator Grace Poe, who led the last electoral survey, has yet to commit to LP.

Duterte seeks death penalty for plunder

by JefRy

m. tupAs

Inquirer.net

DAVAO CITY—Mayor Rodrigo Duterte believes the persistent problem of corruption in the Philippines can be remedied if death penalty for plunderers is imposed.

It’s a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures, he said.

“Drastic measures must be done,” he said. “Death penalty must be considered for plunders.”

In a recent meeting with his supporters, Duterte expressed exasperation over the lingering problem of corruption in the government and how it has taken its toll on the people, particularly the poor.

“Corruption has crept into every fabric of the Philippine society,” he said. “Corruption is not only happening in the government, but even in the private sector and the religious sector.”

The mayor of Davao City for 22 years has always been vocal about his stand on the restora-

tion of the death penalty, saying it is a tool that will deter crime.

Duterte, who is being prodded to join in the presidential race, said the Philippines must come up with laws that are tough on corrupt officials.

“Laws must be amended to make it easier to prosecute the corrupt,” he said.

Duterte always takes pride over his “clean” record saying no one can prosecute him for corruption.

“Public money should always go to the people, benefit people, should better their lives. Public money should never go to the pockets of public officials,” he said.

He said: “I have never spent even a single centavo of government money.”

Duterte also wants death penalty for drug lords and criminals.

“I have zero tolerance for drug lords and criminals,” he said.

“Drugs and criminals destroy the future of our children. Those who destroy our children do not deserve to be part of our lives.”

and finally, any justification for secession. Fear has now become the prime enemy of peace through the BBL,” MILF said.

“Well and good! But they are only overstressing what is obvious. Redundancy is never the best practice in writing and in law-making,” it added.

MILF stressed that its peace negotiators as well as those of the government have seen to it that the BBL does not contain any provision that violate the Constitution.

“The BBL has passed through various discussions including long sessions with constitutional experts like Fr. Joaquin Bernas, former Supreme Court Justice Hilario Davide Jr., and many others to ensure that it is compliant to the Constitution,” it said.

MILF also reiterated that a diluted BBL would not solve the decades-old problem in Mindanao.

“What then is the use of a law passed by Congress only to prolong the miseries and sufferings in Mindanao, because it violated the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro - and the MILF is forced to reject it?” the group said.

LeBron James at the House of Rise. The NBA superstar attended a showcase at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Aug. 20, same place where he first met the basketball-crazed Filipinos in 2013.

Inquirer.net photo by Tristan Tamayo

PH gov’t denounces Bangkok bomb attack derlines the need for solidarity against those who sow terror and inflict violence,” he addInquirer.net ed.

THE Philippine government on Coloma said the Philippine Tuesday denounced the bomb- embassy in Thailand is still coing in central Bangkok, which ordinating with authorities “to has killed at least 20 people. ascertain the safety and well-be“We condemn the bomb attack ing of our citizens.” that killed and wounded scores Reports from Thai media said of tourists, commuters and resi- a Filipino was among those killed dents in Bangkok, Thailand, last in the blast but the Department night,” Communications Secre- of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said tary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in was still no confirmation of the a statement. news.

“This violent incident un“The Philippine Embassy in

by KRistine

Angeli sAbillo, nestoR CoRRAles

Bangkok is in coordination with the hospitals in the area to verify if any Filipinos are among those who perished or have been injured and to provide assistance,” DFA Secretary Albert de Rosario said in a statement.

In the statement, Rosario deplored the “horrific” bombing which “apparently has the intention to sow terror.”

He said Filipinos in Bangkok had been advised by our Embassy to remain calm and to observe necessary precautions to ensure their safety.

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OpiniOn

Features

Tourist-friendly

NEXT month, the world is celebrating World Tourism Day. This year’s World Tourism Day highlights the global potential of tourism for socioeconomic development.

As part of this celebration, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) commends the 1.1 billion tourists who take international trips every year, and their value as a reliable driving force behind the world’s economy.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encourages the world’s citizens not just to travel but to work together to maximize the immense potential of tourism to drive inclusive economic growth, protect the environment and promote sustainable development and a life of dignity for all.

“Today, more than one billion tourists travel to an international destination every year. These billion tourists have made tourism a leading economic sector, contributing 10 percent of global GDP and 6 percent of the world´s total exports,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, who echoed Ki-moon’s sentiments.

Rifai noted that tourism is behind one in 11 jobs worldwide and that it is a valuable source for million of people. He also described the tourism sector as a gateway to greater understanding of the world beyond our borders, the first step in building peace and between communities and nations.

According to UNWTO, in 2014, the number of tourists traveling internationally grew by 4.4 percent, reaching a new milestone of 1,135 million, and capping a five-year consecutive increase since the global economic crisis of 2009. There results have surpassed UNWTO´s long-term projection of 3.8 percent growth for the period 2010 to 2020, well on track to reach the projected 1.8 billion international tourists by the year 2030.

“Yet these big numbers represent more than just economic strength – they reflect tourism´s vast potential and increasing capacity to address some of the world´s most pressing challenges, including

socio-economic growth, inclusive development and environmental preservation,” Rifai added.

Rifai said that tourism is more than just about reaching a destination—it has a global reach. “Every time we travel, we become part of a global movement that has the power to drive positive change for our planet and all people.”

In the Philippines, tourism remains a thriving industry but requires more improvements to fully maximize its potential. Foreign arrivals for 2014 was recorded at 4,833,368 or 3.25 percent higher than the volume of 4,681,307 arrivals in 2013. Total earnings from inbound tourism in 2014 amounted to P214.88 billion, higher by 15 percent compared to the P186.15 billion registered in 2013.

In the first six months of this year, tourist arrivals hit a record 2.6 million, 7.6 percent higher than the same period last year, generating P111 billion in tourist receipt. The Dept. of Tourism (DOT) also reported that domestic tourism is the genuine backbone of the country’s tourism. It noted there are 56 million domestic tourists this year from only 44 million last year.

Despite these promising numbers, the country is lowering its target of tourist arrivals from 10 million to six million for this year, saying it was a more realistic figure. DOT revealed that security and negative travel advisories by a number of countries are challenges that affected the full-year target.

To address this issue, the government has been implementing proposed changes in crisis management and police procedures, coordination, and emergency protocols applicable to acts of violence.

With abundance in natural wonders and the warmth of its people, the Philippines remains con-

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

fident that it has an edge over other travel destinations neighbors and still anticipates a major flow of tourists. It also remains focused on enforcing necessary reforms to improve its travel industry.

Regardless of the feeble global market, political instability and some weak areas in its domestic economy, the Philippine tourism industry remains attractive, unscathed and a bargain. (AJPress)

What undocumented Pinoys can expect from a Donald Trump presidency The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS FILIPINOS in America are divided between two ends of the spectrum: those who believe Donald Trump is their “Messiah” who will help “reclaim” America (but from whom?) and all her glory; and those who abhor Trump and see him as a caricature, no more than a rich real estate mogul and reality star on TV who craves for attention. The way kababayans responded to Trump’s recent announcement about his plan to combat illegal immigration depended on how they view him.

Those who look at Trump as their next President and Commander-in-Chief hailed his plan, saying this is fair and just, especially for those who waited in line, came to America through legal means, and paid fees.

As the New York Times (NYT) reported, Trump’s plan is cen-

tered on three principles. The first principle states “a nation without borders is not a nation”. This calls for the United States to build a wall along the southern border, and he repeated his promise to make Mexico pay for the wall and laid out how he would do it: largely through increasing fees on border movement between the United States and Mexico.

The second principle of Mr. Trump’s proposal, according to the NYT, calls for strengthening the “enforcement arm” of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, to be paid for by “eliminating tax credit payments to illegal immigrants.”

The third principle says that “any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.”

The report further stated that the release of Trump’s plan followed his appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he elaborated on his position to deport undocumented immigrants.

“We have to keep the families together, but they have to go,” Mr. Trump said.

When asked how he might accomplish this, especially given the cost, Mr. Trump responded with a question which resonated with many of his FilAm supporters as evidenced by their social media posts.

“Do you think there’s tremendous cost for the illegals that are in here right now?” Mr. Trump asked. “Do you think there’s tremendous crime being committed by illegals?”

The NYT said Trump promised to “expedite it so people can come back in” after the deportation.

“The good people can come back,” he said.

According to the NYT, Trump’s formal policy maintains what he has contended many times before that “Mexico’s leaders have been taking advantage of the United States by using illegal immigration to export the crime and poverty in their own country.”

Other parts of Trump’s plan, the NYT opined, are similar to the proposals of his rivals in the Republican race. He proposed enforcing the nationwide everify system, ending birthright

citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and increasing the prevailing wage for the temporary H-1B visas.

Unlike many of our conservative/Republican-leaning Filipinos in America, those who are leaning Democrat contend that Trump’s plan is not humane, and discriminates against immigrants. They also echo Trump’s Republican opponents who are already criticizing his plans, by saying they just won’t work.

On the plan to build the wall in the southern border, CNN’s Tom Foreman stated in his report: “ If Mexico won’t play along, Trump proposes a torrent of fees on Mexican citizens, corporate CEO’s, and Diplomats who visit the US, possible tariffs and cuts to foreign aid, too. But Foreman also pointed out that Mexico is the United States’ third-largest trading partner, and that all of Trump’s plans” could cost the US as well, that was why his political opponents are not impressed”.

“This is not a negotiation of a real estate deal, OK? This is international diplomacy and

it’s different,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said, according to CNN. On Trump’s plan to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants, the CNN report likewise explained that Trump was not clear on how to find them and how to fund deporting all of them, even if he would limit the deportation to those with criminal records.

On the issue of Trump’s policy that kids of two illegal immigrants should not automatically be US citizens even if they are born in the United States, Tom Foreman also stated in his report that there is the 14th Amendment in the US Constitution that was ratified in 1868, which stipulated that “All persons born… in the United States…are citizens of the United States”.

According to Foreman, legal scholars say Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship would require changing the Constitution. This is not within the power of the Executive but the Legislature.

Pulitzer prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas,

perhaps the most popular and outspoken undocumented immigrant in America, shared his frustration about Trump’s plan in an interview with Yahoo News Live.

As The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast Balitang America reported, Vargas was among the beneficiary of President Barack Obama’s Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, sparing him from deportation for two years, and according him work and travel permit. Trump said he would reverse this.

Vargas said if he would have the chance to talk to Trump, he would ask him, “‘How do you define American, sir?’”

Vargas added: “This is not a reality television show anymore. This is running for president.” *** 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

What about FVR for President... again!

Shooting Straight BoBit S. AvilA OUR column last Tuesday triggered a deluge of comments, some of them nasty, even one reader accused me of being “Binayaran.” These readers obviously do not read our columns, word for word.

First of all, I clearly pointed out that in the present crop of Presidentiables I have chosen “none-of-the-above,” none of them should be President of this country! What a dilemma for our people! We cannot find a suitable candidate!

Secondly, I was merely citing which is better… voting for an incompetent person or a corrupt one? We in Cebu have lived

for nearly five years under the incompetent Aquino regime where we were never given any major infrastructure projects according to a National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) report. This is why we hate Imperial Manila for these bureaucrats prevent cities from moving forward. All infrastructures have been poured into Metro Manila! Yet a lot of the people in Metro Manila stare at incompetence every single day if you take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).

Worse for Cebu, the Aquino regime leased the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) for 25 years to the GMR/Megawide consortium and during the ground breaking ceremonies for the new Terminal 2, no less than Pres. Aquino revealed to the Cebu media that the P14.4

billion will be deposited in the National Treasury to be used for other projects. Wow! What about our second runway? As I said before, this is the legacy of Pres. Aquino for Cebuanos and we will never forget this big insult.

We already tasted 70 years of having a centralized system of governance and just take a good look at what this has done for the Philippines. From second to Japan we’ve dragged ourselves to be the laughing stock of ASEAN. We may brag about our robust economy today, thanks to our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, which can only be found in two places, India and the Philippines.

But check out the Wallace Forum statistics on Foreign

Direct Investments (FDIs) and you’ll be dismayed that the Philippines still ranks at the bottom of ASEAN. So now, did you ever hear of any of our Presidentiables say how they would solve or fix this problem on FDIs? No sir, not one of them!

What our nation needs today is a President who should be a reformer, one with the guts to change our highly centralized system of government into a parliamentary-federal form of government. One who has a good track record, experience, the gung-ho attitude and above all the wisdom to lead this nation into a better future.

After a lot of thought, I finally found that person. So I asked my good friend, Mr. Rick Ramos who writes for Manila Times to meet up with former

Pres. Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) and he did. Here’s an excerpt of his meeting with FVR a few days ago.

“I had a meeting with former President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR). He is the best person to champion the parliamentary system and federal form of government. FVR and I talked about the parliamentary system and the federal form of government. He is all for it. He told me that when he ran for President in 1992, he already wanted a parliamentary system. He also wanted to do it in 1997, but Cory Aquino and Jaime Cardinal Sin opposed it.

Cory thought FVR wanted to become a Dictator like Marcos.

T___a talaga.

His strategy is shift first to the parliamentary system and the federal form to follow. He

said that the federal form has to evolve after the parliamentary system. It cannot be legislated and cited what happened in England and then the UK. I told FVR that the BBL issue can be resolved if we have a federal form of government. The Bangsamoro region can be one for the states. FVR said that he recommended the same 10 years in 2005.”

So will FVR accept our challenge to run for President? He must do it as a matter of duty and for a long lasting legacy… shifting our nation from ugly politics to one where politicians are true public servants. FVR’s only negative is his age. But I dare all the Presidentiables to do push-ups with him and let’s see who is stronger physically?

Let’s go FVR! For God and country! (Philstar.com)

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NextDayBetter x LA: Tastemakers share why Filipino cuisine is having a moment this year, the creative speaker and food series—in partnership with AJPress sponsors like Mailchimp—has held There is perhaps no better similar events in San Francisco, unifier than food.

Orlando and Toronto, with Case in point: a recent Saturday Washington DC, New York, London night when nearly 300 individuals and Manila on the lineup in coming flocked to The Well in Downtown months. Around the world, these Los Angeles to talk about food. And events are creating platforms to of course, to eat. discuss literally how to make the From the venue to the food next day better. vendors to the speakers, it was “Many people left the event organized as an “LA-specific event,� learning a lot and feeling inspired according to NextDayBetter LA’s from personal stories and lead city curator Diane romualdez. entrepreneurial spirits that were That specificity underscores shared. Location and the event NextDayBetter’s strength of uniting experience [were] important for diaspora communities and spurring the curator team, we wanted to a call to action that is relevant and elevate it across the board through tailored for a particular city. Already partnering with The Well and

by Christina M. Oriel

Krizia Medenilla, Diane Romualdez, Samantha Duenas, Mike Tinio, and Krystal Menez

Little Ongpin Pancit and Leelin Bakery and Cafe Empanadas

involving named food purveyors.

The end result exceeded our expectations and proved that taking the time to understand the needs of our community and taking a few risks go a long way,� romualdez said.

With the population of Filipinos in Southern California, it’s continually a surprise that Filipino cuisine hasn’t permeated the fine dining scene, as it has (or has begun to, depending on whom you ask) in other cities. Given that void, the LA curation team—composed of romualdez, JP Capulong, Krizia Medenilla, Krystal Menez and Mike Tinio—was motivated to organize an event that spoke to that question on everyone’s minds, featuring ‘tastemakers’ who have each had their fair share of experiences in the culinary industry. “When it came for us to decide on a theme for this [event], it really was a unanimous decision to talk about and highlight the Filipino tastemakers right here in our backyard that are making waves in the Filipino foodie scene. With so many Filipinos living in Southern California, we’re always asking ourselves, why hasn’t Filipino food gotten the attention that Thai, Japanese, and Korean [food] have?,�

Medenilla said.

How sustainable agriculture can make the next day better For Justin Garrido, one of the night’s keynote speakers, doing an MBA exchange program in the Philippines was a “life-changing experience� that exposed him not only to the immense poverty, but also to come up withviable solutions to ameliorate the problem.

From there, he and a classmate launched SocialProject.Ph, a crowdfunding website featuring projects that deal with social issues and environmental challenges in

the Philippines. however, while traveling around the country, he visited farming communities and realized that farmers themselves could solve eradicating poverty, which, according to Garrido, is a more sustainable and grassroots way to make an impact. â€œâ€ŚI realized that the true potential of the Philippines wasn’t in crowdfunding and what we’re doing by tapping the Filipino diaspora through remittances,â€? he said during his speech. “But it was in the food, the land and agriculture.â€?

Last year, Garrido and his cousin Kris founded Social Products, a social enterprise that sources black rice from farmers in Mindanao. earlier this spring, the product reached the shelves of specialty health food stores across Southern California, and has been used in dishes prepared by local chefs at LASA and rice Bar. “[A] key catalyst within that value chain is the social enterprise that has the business skills to take their products and services to market but also has a heart for the farmers wherein [there’s] shared wealth and inclusive growth— basically it’s what we do and why we exist is to empower Filipino farmers by connecting them to markets, and specifically importing their rice to the US organic food industry,� Garrido said.

In return, 5 percent of Social Products’ profits go back to technical training for the farmers.

Now that the company has received organic certification from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it is looking to target larger organic market chains and introduce more products (i.e. a medley of black, red and brown rices), as well as cultivating other resources like turmeric, ube and cacao.

2

Food for Thought panel: Samantha Duenas aka DJ SOSUPERSAM (panel moderator), Kristine De La Cruz (co-owner of CrÊme Caramel LA), Kathleen Reyes (blogger of TheCavery.com), Charles Olalia (chef/owner A’postrophe and Rice Bar) , Chad Valencia and Chase Valencia (brothers behind LASA pop-up) Photos by Brian Trinidad + pisforprops

After the program, Social Products sampled its black rice with various toppings, such as pieces of bangus. In addition to helping out the livelihood of farmers, the company shows that the Philippines is home to many superfoods; a spoonful of black rice alone packs in more antioxidants than a bowl of blueberries.

On just doing it and following your dreams If there’s anything that LAnative Alvin Cailan—owner and chef at eggslut and ramen Champ, two wildly popular and successful eateries in Downtown LA—can draw from his experiences, it’s going ahead with his passion and not letting detractors stand in the way. “The key to my success and the key to believing and making dreams happen is: just doing it,â€? he said. his rise as a chef began when his father taught him how to cook eggs at a young age. “So what did I learn how to cook? I learned how to cook eggs like everyone else‌I think everyone can relate: waking up in the morning and smelling spam, eggs, vienna sausage, and longganisa,â€? he told the audience. “It’s a natural progression.â€? he went on to work as a

dishwasher at 15 years old, “where cooking professionally really started� for him. When it came time to go to college, however, Cailan studied business and got his first post-grad job with a construction company. “All I could think of every day was, ‘what am I going to cook for dinner?’� Cailan said.

One day, he packed up and just drove to Portland to attend culinary school. â€œâ€ŚI made it work because I really, really wanted it.

Determination is key. Making the first step is one thing but actually pulling through and doing it is the biggest thing,� he continued, adding that he knocked on the doors of every major restaurant in Portland in search for a job with no luck.

When he finally found a paying gig, the restaurant flopped six months later, prompting another move down the coast to Yountville and Napa, where some of the country’s best and Michelinstarred restaurants are located.

Bouchon offered him a job, but he declined and moved back to LA where he made rounds at “pinky up� restaurants. “I go, I eat a breakfast sandwich and I’m like ‘this sandwich sucks’ and at the time, in LA, everyone Continued on Page 4

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www.asianjournal.com

From Page 2

didn’t eat breakfast…so I thought I had something there: I could make a damn good sandwich. I’ve been doing fine dining, why not make a sandwich? Then I realized, man, I’m broke,” Calian said. He sold his car and bought a food truck, which was timely as the city’s food truck craze was peaking. Naming the truck ‘Eggslut,’ Cailan had three menu options — all made with eggs — and parked in front of Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake.

“If people buy $7 coffee, they’re going to buy $6 breakfast sandwiches. They did, but the thing is the other business owners and restaurants on that street complained so I had to move and that was the biggest hit. Three months rolled by and I was making like $50 a day. I was running the truck myself…I would wake up at 4 in the morning from Compton and drove it down to West Hollywood myself. Back then, it was just yell 1, 2 or 3 because I [was] the cashier, cook and everything else,” he said.

Then, one “miraculous” morning Ruth Reichl (famed food critic and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine) stumbled upon the truck and ordered the coddled egg atop potato puree.

“I’m looking out the window and she digs in and eats it. Boom, you just see it. I’m like I…crushed this,” Cailan said, recalling that feeding one of the most influential food writers led to an uptick in social media followers and attention from other writers. “I owe it to her. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have gotten to shine. She gave me a chance…Next thing you know, every food blog and writer [was] hitting me up.”

Today, Eggslut is a fixture at Grand Central Market, where lines can span anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour. (One of the night’s raffle items was a front of the line ticket — the modern day version of the Golden Ticket.) “[W]hat I love about our generation of Filipinos [is that] we actually put in work. We go in there and don’t take no for an answer and that’s why we’re here today, right?,” he said.

Why Filipino food can finally

EMPLOYMENT

have its moment In what Samantha Duenas aka DJ SOSUPERSAM called a “state of the union” of Filipino cuisine, a group of food-minded individuals agreed that bringing together the Filipino-American community can propel the food to a mainstream level similar to some of its Asian neighbors.

On the panel was: Charles Olalia, former executive chef of Patina who started his own popup series called Apostrophe and is now chef/partner at Ricebar in Downtown; Kristine de la Cruz, owner of Créme Caramel, an LAbased custard & confection dessert shop specializing in traditional baking recipes with Filipino ingredients; brothers Chad and Chase Valencia who run the much sought after, monthly pop-up series LASA Restaurant; Kathleen Reyes, paleo gourmand and blogger of TheCavery.com.

The conversation fully engaged the audience, touching upon subjects like the authenticity of Filipino food, how to make it healthy and why 2015 is the right time. Here are a few soundbites: “One night it hit me for the 50th time…it was pasta and not pancit. I had to make a decision.

It took a while but at that point, it was about eight years of cooking, I think I was ready to try at least, whether I knew we were going to succeed or not,” said Chad, who had been been working at neighborhood spots like Canele and Sqirl in Los Angeles and Contigo in San Francisco.

Olalia, who has 12 years of experience working at the French Laundry, Patina and Terranea Resort, shared how he began his Filipino pop-up series earlier this year.

“The reason I started cooking back then was to bring people together — to be the very reason of why people had a good time.

Through the years, it got lost in techniques, ranks and working up the ladder. I wanted to cook Filipino food. This is what I missed the most. So I came back here [to LA] in February and did a Filipino pop-up and I got in trouble with my job and you can’t do that. At

the time, I had a specific clause that I couldn’t do anything outside of my restaurant,” he said.

How Filipino food can resonate with customers “When we first started the business, it started with my family’s leche flan and my aunt and uncle adapted it, so it [had] Filipino taste and French texture. But we didn’t even start doing the Filipino ingredients until a year into it when we participated in FPAC… From there, it just shows us how much community really stems from your heritage…the ube and buko pandan were the two flavors we did because that was what we were familiar with. When we introduced it to our menu at the farmers’ market, people were asking, ‘what’s that purple thing?’

I would say ube but they hear blueberry… Because we sample a lot it gives people the opportunity to try it without feeling they have to buy it to experience it. I think with Filipino food, the exposure through other types of preparation is giving people the opportunity to try it in different ways,” said de la Cruz.

“Through the three years I’ve been blogging, I’ve been seeing patterns of Filipino food in social media, so the presence of Filipino food has greatly populated social media lately and I think that’s been feeding the Filipino food movement…” Reyes shared.

Striking a balance between authenticity and being unique For the Valencia brothers at LASA, which boasts California cuisine influenced by Filipino components, looking at the building blocks of Filipino cuisine has guided their menu decisions.

“With LASA, we always considered the flavor profiles and the foundation of flavors of Filipino food…For us, we’re always trying to find ways to respect that without trying to take away from that aspect of Filipino food.

For instance, we would create dishes such as the adobo braised octopus where we would braise the octopus tentacle in the adobo and then later sear it, [while] still keeping components of adobo Continued on Page 6

FOR RENT

FOR SALE

UPLAND—A renewed lifestyle opportunity is smiling on homebuyers this Saturday, August 1st when William Lyon Homes unveils the stunning Citrus Pointe model homes at The Orchards in Upland. Guests attending this exciting Model Grand Opening will be the first to tour the four beautifully decorated and furnished models and explore the neighborhood’s contemporary two- and three-story townhome designs. Buyers who want to relax in style will appreciate Citrus Pointe’s comfortably sized floorplans and modern amenities, as well as the rare advantages of owning a new home with private recreational amenities and no Mello Roos fees. From The Orchards’ private recreation center and parks to the amazing commuter-friendly location near freeways and a Metrolink station, it’s clear that Citrus Pointe is a must-see for new homeownership in downtown Upland. Those interested are encouraged to bring family and friends to this Saturday’s model grand opening event when doors open at 10 am to explore this incredible new-home opportunity.

Further details on The Orchards can be found at www.lyontheorchards. com. For additional details on Citrus Pointe, visit www.LyonCitrusPointe. com or to learn more about the community’s second neighborhood, visit www.LyonCitrusCourt.com.

“Citrus Pointe is the first of two neighborhoods to debut at The Orchards, and it’s already become one of the most talked-about newhome collections in Upland,” said Ben Blomdahl, Director of Sales for William Lyon Homes. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome our buyers to the Model Grand Opening on Saturday and look forward to exceeding their expectations.”

Citrus Pointe’s 5 townhome designs suit a range of lifestyles with spacious interiors spanning from approximately 1,177 to 1,583 square feet, with 2 to 3 bedrooms, 2 full and 2 half baths, 2-car attached garages, and dens and lofts in select plans.

Prices start from the $345,000s.

Citrus Court’s distinctive attached-home collection features 4 well-appointed designs with interiors spanning between 923 and 1,723 square feet, with 2 to 3 bedrooms, 2 to 3 baths and 2-car

garages. Distant views of the Mount Baldy and the San Gabriel Mountains are available from select locations in both neighborhoods.

Prices start from the $330,000s.

Just steps from homes, homeowners will find The Orchards’ exclusive recreational amenities including a sparkling pool and spa; barbecues for outdoor gatherings; and a private recreation center.

Pocket parks and greenbelts will also be scattered throughout the community.

The appealing downtown Upland setting puts the Metrolink station within walking distance for easy rides to Los Angeles-area employment and attractions, while I-210 and I-10 are both nearby, easing the burden of driving commutes. For frequent travelers, the Ontario International Airport is also within close proximity.

Homeowners will value the sports and leisure opportunities surrounding The Orchards with golf available at Red Hill Country Club & Golf Course and Upland Hills Country Club, baseball fields across the street at Olivedale Park, and challenging indoor climbing workouts at Hangar 18 Climbing Gym. Residents seeking culture, dining and shopping attractions can be in Upland’s historic downtown in minutes to enjoy a mix of charming boutiques, antique stores, restaurants and live theater. In neighboring Ontario, bargain shoppers will have Ontario Mills retail outlet at their disposal, while the renowned Victoria Gardens retail center in nearby Rancho Cucamonga will offer Macys, AMC Theatres, Wells Fargo Bank, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, The Cheesecake Factory and a number of other popular shops and dining spots. Vons and Trader Joe’s grocery stores will also be

SERVICES

just a short distance from the community.

To visit Citrus Pointe and Citrus Court at The Orchards, travel west on I-10, exit Euclid Ave., turn left, then turn right on Euclid Ave., right on 8th St. and follow the signs.

From I-210, exit North Campus Ave. and travel south. Turn right on E. 16th St., left on Euclid Ave., then left again on E. 8th St. and follow the signs. Located on the corner of 8th St. and Sultana Ave., The Orchards’ Sales Gallery is open daily from 10am to 6pm.

For more information, please call (909) 946-0900, or visit www.

LyonCitrusPointe.com or www.

LyonCitrusCourt.com.

It matters who your builder is and William Lyon Homes is a company built upon a legacy of pride and integrity.

A team of visionaries who are passionate about homebuilding and committed to providing a high quality homebuying and homeownership experience, William Lyon Homes has earned a solid track record for outstanding construction and customer service since 1956. The company continues to expand its well-respected brand beyond California, Arizona and Nevada and into other market areas across the Western region with the acquisition of Polygon Northwest Homes, its newest division in Washington and Oregon, and its Village Homes division in Colorado.

William Lyon Homes’ shares are publicly traded on NYSE under the symbol WLH. For updated information and to learn more, visit www.lyonhomes.com.

Prices are effective as of the date of publication. Pricing is approximate and is subject to change without prior notice.

CalBRE Officer License: 00982816.

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Uscis new policy memo expands cspa Your Immigration Solution Atty. RobeRt Reeves ben LovemAn And nAncy e. miLLeR On July 29, 2015, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a new policy memorandum on its website providing guidance to its officers and to the public regarding the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).

The policy memorandum was previously circulated as a proposed policy and appears to have been finalized on April 15, 2015 (the date on final version of the memo). The new policy clarifies and expands the applicability of the CSPA. The newly finalized policy memorandum will allow many children who were previously determined to be ineligible for CSPA protection a chance to reapply and

potentially qualify for permanent residency if certain requirements can be met. The new policy could also spur persons who previously did not apply because of perceived ineligibility to apply for permanent residency.

As many of our readers know, the CSPA was passed by Congress to mitigate the problem of children ‘ageing-out’ as derivatives under their parent’s cases which resulted in familial separation. A child is no longer considered a child for the purpose of qualifying as a derivative beneficiary of a parent’s petition when they reach their twenty-first birthday. The CSPA provides a mechanism which allows certain children to remain children despite reaching the age of twenty-one.

The implications of the new policy can only be understood if we first take a step back and see how the CSPA operates to protect children from ageing-out. The CSPA allows children to freeze their age and deduct the amount of time the

qualifying petition was pending with USCIS from their age but only if they seek to acquire permanent resident status within one year of the availability of the immigrant visa number (also known as the “priority date”). Thus, the key triggering event for CSPA protection is the child taking affirmative action to seek to acquire resident status. The child must do this within one-year of a visa becoming available as determined by reference to the monthly Department of State Visa Bulletin.

The newly adopted USCIS policy allows for exceptions to the one-year deadline for seeking to acquire. This means that in some cases persons who have failed to seek to acquire within one-year may remain eligible for CSPA protection. The policy memorandum states that this oneyear deadline can be excused if the failure to seek to acquire resident status was not the child’s fault and was the result of extraordinary circumstances.

The policy memorandum

august 21-27, 2015 www.asianjournal.com

instructs USCIS officers to examine cases to determine if CSPA protection applies and to grant CSPA protection if extraordinary circumstances are established and: (1) the circumstances were not created by the individual’s own action or inaction; (2) the circumstances were directly related to the failure to act within the one-year period; and (3)The delay was reasonable under the circumstances.USCIS has not provided an all-encompassing list of qualifying circumstances which would establish eligibility for waiver of the one-year deadline but instead has laid out several examples of circumstances which couldmitigate in favor of USCIS excusing an applicant seeking to acquire residency beyond the one-year deadline.

These circumstances include: legal disability, such as mental impairment, serious illness or mental or physical disability during the one-year period, ineffective

assistance of counsel , timely filing rejected by the USCIS, followed by a prompt, corrected filing, and death or serious illness or incapacity of legal representative or immediate family member.

Finally, the new policy allows applicants whose cases were denied based on failure to meet the one-year filing requirement to file a motion to reopen for further consideration of their case. A motion to reopen must usually be filed within 30 days of a decision but USCIS will allow late-filed motions to reopen in this type of case. The ability to file a late motion to reopen will only apply to persons who had their cases denied between June 8, 2012 through the issuance of new policy. However, applicants who were denied prior to that date can reapply for resident status if they can meet the requirements discussed above.

The CSPA was passed to help ensure family unity. USCIS’s new policy will allow the CSPA to

5

protect even more families as it allows exceptions to the previously rigid one-year rule. Whether or not a particular case will meet USCIS’s definition of extraordinary circumstances will come down to the particular facts of that case and then, more importantly, how the case is prepared and presented to USCIS. We encourage all persons whose cases might be impacted by this new policy to speak with an experienced immigration attorney. *** Atty. Reeves has represented clients in numerous landmark immigration cases that have set new policies regarding INS action and immigrants’ rights. His offices are located in Pasadena, Irvine, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Makati City.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration @rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

(Advertising Supplement)

Atty. Kenneth URsUA Reyes

seven things you should not Bring FREE solar energy to your home! do when served with divorce papers by your spouse

FOr most people, being served with divorce papers by your spouse is probably one of the biggest surprises in your life.

The spouse in the receiving end of the divorce sometimes are not offered any explanation for the divorce petition by their spouse.

You may start getting upset about how this can happen to you and start doing things that are going to be seriously detrimental to your divorce case later on in the proceeding. Here are seven things you should not do.

Do not confront your spouse and commit domestic violence Many spouse feel very angry and upset upon receiving the divorce papers. You may start blaming your spouse and attacking your spouse. You may even yell, threaten, scream, or even physically assault your spouse. This type of confrontation is called “domestic violence.” You may be arrested criminally if your spouse calls law enforcement. Your spouse may also

file a domestic violence restraining order against you. Either one would compromise your ability to seek custody of your children, child support, and spousal support. It would also affect your credibility as a witness for future proceedings.

In addition if you do this in front of the children, this may be looked at as domestic violence and abuse against the children. The incident may be reported to Child Protective Services for investigation.

Do not run to the bank and empty out all your bank accounts or sell assets except for funds necessary retain legal representation in the divorce.

If you have assets, do not run and empty out your bank accounts with the goal of securing it from your spouse. The divorce petition and summons includes certain automatic temporary restraining orders (ATrOS) which prohibits transferring and encumbering assets. You will be in violation of the ATrOS if you do this. Your

Barrister’s Corner

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Our well-trained, solar specialist team will evaluate your home free of charge to assess for potential spouse may also make a claim for savings, and generate your custom breach of fiduciary duty against SouthWest Sun Solar proposal and a you. However there are certain low-rate agreement bringing clean exceptions to withdrawing funds power and energy to your home. such as funds necessary for your Our in-house engineers and living expenses and funds you specialists will design and install need to retain an attorney. a solar system meeting all of your Do not cut off your spouse energy needs. We specialize in from any insurance policies rooftop solar panels, converting One of the ATrOS prohibits you natural energy from the sun to from removing your spouse from produce a clean, solar electricity Jun Pereyra health insurance coverage and system—while saving you from other insurance policy. It would be piles of local utility bills.

Keep more money in your a violation of ATrOS to do so. You “This is relatively new, pocket. With SouthWest Sun Solar need to maintain your spouse on all innovative, and best of all affordable systems, your family can cut the existing insurance until the divorce technology. Our business model is electricity bill between as much as is finalized or the status of marriage we aim save people money,” says 20-60% after installation, and you is dissolved in a bifurcated trial. executive director Hugh (Hieu) can raise the value of your home by Do not take off with your child nguyen. “And we are going green 15-25%. and move out of state or out of the too, green in your homes and in We have a zero down, no country your pockets.” cash required agreement, and If the child has been living We always ensure that your no installation fee. With our in this state, California Court home’s new solar system will always innovative Power Purchase has jurisdiction over your child meet our solar standards, producing Agreement, you just pay us back in even if you leave California after efficient, clean, “green” energy. The the future, at a much lower price. being served the divorce. Your system is also net-metered, allowing In addition, every customer who spouse can get an order from the excess power production to flow signs up with SouthWest Sun Solar receives $500 back. Customers who Continued on Page 6 back into the grid.

Mon Caleon

refer us and to their friends and family also get a $500 referral!

Our in-house team has installed solar panels in over 100 homes across California. We also offer 25-year warranty, a $500,000 roof insurance policy, system routine maintenance and rooftop damage repair, and we guarantee quality performance that will lower your electricity bill. With fast installation and customer service, we truly care about our customers. We also speak English, Tagalog, Spanish, and Korean, to Continued on Page 6

august 21-27, 2015 www.asianjournal.com

6

Reinstatement of a revoked I-130 petition Tales from the Arena

discretion, AFM 21.2(h)(1)(C) identifies factors that USCIS traditionally considers: (1) the impact of revocation on the family unit in the US, especially on US citizen (USC) or lawful permanent resident (LPR) Charles Medina, esq. relatives or other relatives UnDER 8 CFR 205.1(a)(3)(i)(C), living lawfully in the US; (2) the an approved Form I-130 beneficiary’s advanced age or petition for an alien relative is poor health; (3) the beneficiary’s automatically revoked upon the having resided in the US lawfully death of the petitioner if the for a lengthy period; (4) the beneficiary has not obtained beneficiary’s ties to his or her lawful permanent residence prior home country; and (5) significant to the petitioner’s death. In Matter delay in processing the case after of Varela, 13 I&n Dec. 453 (BIA approval of the petition and 1970), the Board of Immigration after a visa number has become Appeals (BIA) held that an I-130 available, if the delay is reasonably petition could not be approved attributable to the Government, if the petitioner died while the rather than the alien. However, petition was pending. We will unlike in certain applications for discuss two ways of solving waiver of inadmissibility, a request these problems arising from a for reinstatement does not strictly petitioner’s death. require the beneficiary to show The first remedy is to request extreme hardship on US relatives. for a humanitarian reinstatement A second remedy for a of a revoked petition. Under 8 CFR revoked petition is described 205.1(a)(3)(i)(C)(2), a beneficiary of under InA 204(l), which covers an approved I-130 that has been beneficiaries of immediate relative revoked due to the death of the or family-based preference petitioner may make a request petitions, among others. InA for reinstatement by submitting, 204(l) states that these covered among other things, a copy of the beneficiaries, who resided in approval notice of the revoked the US at the time of the death I-130, the death certificate of of their qualifying relatives and the petitioner, and a Form I-864 who continue to reside in the affidavit of support signed by US, shall have their petitions, a substitute sponsor. Without adjustment of status applications an affidavit of support, the and other related applications beneficiary would be inadmissible adjudicated notwithstanding under InA 212(a)(4) as an alien the death of their qualifying likely to become a public charge. relatives, unless USCIS determines InA 213A(f)(5)(B) requires that a that approval would not be in substitute sponsor in a request the public interest. InA 204(l) for humanitarian reinstatement is broader than humanitarian must be related to the beneficiary reinstatement under 8 CFR as a: (1) spouse, (2) parent, (3) 205.1(a)(3)(i)(C)(2) because mother-in-law, (4) father-in-law, (5) InA 204(l) applies to approved sibling, (6) child, who is at least 18 petitions that have been revoked years of age, (7) son, (8) daughter, and to pending petitions that (9) son-in-law, (10) daughterwere denied upon the death of in-law, (11) sister-in-law, (12) the petitioner while humanitarian brother-in-law, (13) grandparent, reinstatement applies only to or (14) grandchild. Without this approved petitions. However, relationship to the beneficiary, like humanitarian reinstatement, the substitute sponsor would not a request for InA 204(l) relief qualify even if he meets the other requires an affidavit of support requirements for a sponsor. from a substitute sponsor A request for reinstatement described under InA 213A(f)(5)(B). may be granted in the discretion Like a request for of USCIS. In the exercise of this humanitarian reinstatement,

there is no particular form or filing fee for applying for InA 204(l) relief. However, if the petition or application was denied before the effective date of InA 204(l) on October 28, 2009, AFM 10.21(c)(8)(i) allows a beneficiary to file an untimely motion to reopen the petition, adjustment application, or waiver application that was denied. This motion to reopen requires a standard form and filing fee.

AFM 10.21(c)(6) explains that when USCIS exercises its discretion under InA 204(l), the overriding issue is simply whether the beneficiary qualifies for the requested visa classification.

Inadmissibility is not a basis for denial of a visa petition. Thus, an InA 204(l) request may be denied on the ground that it is not be in the public interest only on the basis of truly compelling discretionary factors.

Lastly, InA 204(l) also authorizes the adjudication of an application for waiver of inadmissibility that may be necessary in the course of adjudicating an adjustment application. Some waivers require an applicant to show extreme hardship on qualifying relatives.

If the qualifying relative is also the deceased petitioner, then this would present an insurmountable problem for the beneficiary. Thus, InA 204(l), as implemented under AFM 10.21(c)(5), treats the death of the qualifying relative as the equivalent of a finding of extreme hardship if the hardship asserted by the beneficiary would have been suffered by the qualifying relative were he or she still alive.

Extreme hardship though is just one of several factors weighed when deciding a waiver. It is the task of the beneficiary to show more positive factors to merit the approval of the waiver. *** Charles Medina practices immigration law.

Visit his website at medinalawgroup.net for more details. This article provides general information only and does not provide legal advice on any specific matter or predict the outcome of any legal matter. It does not invite or create an attorney-client relationship.

Problem Solved atty. Kelly O’reilly SO often, we meet with clients who come to our law firm just before a scheduled consulate interview abroad. The clients have either done their application on their own, or maybe a friend or “document preparer” has helped them, and they believe their case is straightforward and simple.

They are all set to go, their plane tickets have been purchased, and they are ready for their consulate interview! But… they are a little nervous about leaving the United States and they just want a lawyer to double check that everything is O.K. Often, everything is not O.K. We have the unfortunate responsibility to tell the clients that they have wasted their time and money on an application that is completely worthless. They cannot go to their consulate interview because we have found a problem that would make them unable to return if once they left the United States. Thank goodness they came to us before they left!

Had the clients ignored their instinct to come to an expert for a second opinion before leaving the United States, their lives could have been ruined! This is no exaggeration. If you leave the United States, even if you have a waiver that you think will guarantee your reentry, you may still be inadmissible for other reasons not covered under your waiver. You may have to get other waivers (for which you may or may not qualify), or you may not be eligible for any waiver at all. You might be permanently barred from reentering the United States.

Put simply, if you leave the United States without having sought the advice and assurance of

The point of no return a bar-certified immigration lawyer, you are placing your entire future at risk. Once you leave the United States, if something is wrong with your application, or if you don’t already have the appropriate waiver(s) needed to return, you may be stuck outside the United States for years, decades, or even for life. Problems with immigration status must be detected and resolved HERE, not abroad. Even if you have a 601A waiver, that will not save you if you have, for example, certain prior criminal convictions, or false claims on an old I-9, or one too many unlawful entries into the US. If an attorney finds the problem here, he or she can resolve it ahead of time. But if you leave, you may have reached a literal point of no return.

Why is it so hard to come back to the United States if you have left before a problem is identified?

There are several reasons. First, the problem itself may be unfixable.

For instance, if you have a false claim of United States citizenship in your background, and that fact comes up during your consulate interview, you can be barred for life from returning to the United States. There is no waiver for a false claim to citizenship. This leads to the next issue, which is that once a consulate officer makes a decision, it is next to impossible to overturn that decision. The reason for this is something called the “Doctrine of nonreviewability.”

The Doctrine of nonreviewability simply means that no one can legally challenge a ruling made by the consulate. Finally, everything done through the consulate takes time. If you get to the consulate office and only at that point find that you need a waiver, then you have to submit your waiver there, directly to the consulate. You will have to wait there for the waiver to be adjudicated, which can take

Kelly S. O’Reilly is a nationally known immigration expert and former immigration officer. He is a highly sought after speaker on immigration and employment compliance issues. Mr. O’Reilly serves as the current chair of the Riverside County Bar Association Immigration section and is a partner in the full-service immigration firm of the Wilner & O’Reilly where he provides free consultations.

Mr. O’Reilly can be contacted at (714) 919-8880 and he welcomes email inquiries at kelly@ wilneroreilly.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

NextDayBetter x LA: Tastemakers share...

From Page 4

— that kind of ideal and preserving that without taking away too much,” Chase said.

Olalia added that creating a warm dining experience, distinct to Filipino culture is as important as (Advertising Supplement) the food.

“A lot about Filipino cuisine is the warmth and hospitality that are shared with other people — that’s important, the tradition and part of the cuisine that I focus on. I want to make sure that whoever is at my table will feel that they’re at somebody’s house, or my house so I pay as much attention to them and make them feel as comfortable as I can. Flavor profiles will always be flavor profiles, but I think the hospitality of the Filipinos is one thing that is very unique,” he noted.

On what Filipino dishes should be on menus Olalia: “My philosophy is: if I don’t eat it [or] crave it every day, I will not put it on my menu. For me,

one thing I want to see on more menus [are] pinkabet and a welldone lugaw.”

Chad: “Places like nIGHT+MARKET have a blood MSG sauce with chicharrones and bitter herbs and people eat that up. At least dinuguan is cooked and no one’s making it.”

Reyes: “I would say a nice sinigang house instead of Pho — you know, you have that late night craving and you’re out there and you just want something comforting and reminds you of home.”

As the speaker portion of the night drew to a close, the crowd gathered outside to make rounds to the different vendors, sampling dishes, such as a chicken crostini with kale salad & lemon parmesan vinaigrette from Olalia, LASA’s hamachi kinilaw with salt & vinegar taro chips, ice cream served on an ube cone from soonto-open Wanderlust Creamery,

From Page 5 better serve the larger California community.

To our kababayans, please ask for our Filipino sales team, Jun Pereyra (415-350-4631) and Mon Caleon (714-369-4490), and they will be happy to assist you! Our new Filipino office is located at 2610 Orangethorpe Ave. #101 Fullerton, CA 92833.

Go solar now, with more confidence in the future. With our main offices in Fullerton (Filipino office), Westminster, La Mirada, Laguna Hills, and San Jose, we are happy to serve customers throughout northern and Southern California. With a 5-star rating on Yelp, we are dedicated to providing affordable, quality professional service and promoting clean, green

Buying a new car stress-free: Kababayans at DCH Toyota of Torrance will show you how

FILIPINO Loyd Aler landed his first job as a produce and vegetable delivery man.

Then he became a fast food restaurant manager, and then a quality insurance inspector.

His father, Edgar, who used to work in wholesale for food and vegetables, and that inspired him to ultimately pursue a career in sales: today, he works as the Filipino Dept.

Manager and Senior Sales Specialist at DCH Toyota of Torrance.

“I really love what I do for living and I enjoy very much not just selling cars, but making new friends, selling great products, and helping people get and drive their dream cars,” he N\ n\cZfd\ Xcc f] fli bXYXYXpXe Xk ;:? KfpfkX =`c`g`ef JXc\j ;\gk% J`dgcp ZXcc lj Xk kfcc ]i\\ /// ++*$.-(0% N\ ZXe XcnXpj _\cg pfl ^\k Xe X]]fi[XYc\ ZXi pfl nXek kf [i`m\ k_Xk n`cc Ôk pfli Yl[^\k k_ifl^_ X m\ip jdffk_ says. gif]\jj`feXc ]i`\e[cp jlg\i ]Xjk jkiX`^_k ]finXi[ kiXejXZk`fe% Aljk Xjb ]fi Cfp[# G_`cc`g# <[ fi AG% KXnX^ eX Buying a car is bX`Y`^Xe no easy decision.

It requires careful a wide selection of new and DCH offers special promotions, thought and it’s something Aler pre-owned vehicles to meet the including low APRs and $0 down understands. Since 2002 he has broad range of tastes and needs payments, but it isn’t always been selling Toyota vehicles, customers have. easy to extend these to certain a brand that has been touted Among the customers that visit customers. for its safety, retail value and DCH Toyota of Torrance, Aler “But for me, that’s the time I longevity. says he sees many Filipinos who will be more aggressive and shop In addition to the quality show interest in a variety of cars, around for more banks to help brand he sells, Aler works at including Highlander, Priuses them,” he says. an auto dealership owned by and Camry models.

In most cases, Aler is able to a businessman based in Hong Joining Aler in the Filipino pull some strings and find a way Kong. It was established almost Dept. of DCH Toyota of Torrance to overcome this particular hurdle a decade ago and is continually are Phillip Rivera (Sales & Leasing in the selling process, though growing: since its inception, Consultant), Edgar Relova (Sales interest rates tend to be just a it has opened more than 20 & Leasing Consultant) and JP little higher for individuals with DCH dealerships across the Panganiban (Sales & Leasing credit and income limitations.

United States, with locations Consultant).

“But the important thing is in Temecula, Oxnard, Simi Aler as a manager of DCH’s they [have] another chance to get Valley, and on the east coast Filipino department, welcomes a car loan and that helps build in New York and New Jersey. and looks forward to serving their credit again,” he says.

The goal of the company is to his fellow kababayans. His DCH Toyota of Torrance is exceed customers’ expectations overflowing friendly personality, conveniently located just off and provide exceptional as well as that of Rivera, Relova the 110 at: 2909 Pacific Coast service to ensure the highest and Panganiban, make the Highway, Torrance, CA 90505. satisfaction. Among ways the Filipino sales team approachable DISCOUNT CONNECTION dealership demonstrates how and easy to talk to.

HOTLINE for Kababayans Phone: much customers matter is Aler says he enjoys his job, (888) 443-7619. by delivering luxury services although one of the bigger DCH Toyota of Torrance is open including oil changes, loaner challenges he faces in his job Mondays through Saturdays from cars, shuttles and much much is when interested buyers with 8:30am to 9pm, and on Sundays, more. poor credit or lower incomes from 10am to 8pm.

The dealership also boasts are turned down by the bank.

8[m\ik`j`e^ Jlggc\d\ek

months, possibly years, to be approved. And that is, of course, assuming the waiver is approved.

If it is not, then you could be stuck outside the United States for life.

Anyplace outside the United States is “no-mans-land” if you do not have lawful status in the United States. You should be extremely cautious before leaving the US for any reason.

This includes quick trips to Mexico or Canada. This includes an international cruise to the Bahamas. If you leave the United States without a United States passport, a green card or without explicit confirmation from a lawyer that you will return safely, you are taking a massive risk.

If you are considering leaving the United States for any reason and you do not have a guarantee from a certified immigration attorney, please make an appointment to speak to one.

It may save your immigration status or the status of your loved one. Since many immigration firms, including Wilner & O’Reilly Immigration Law Firm, offer free consultations, there is literally nothing to lose by getting an expert opinion. If you are planning to travel, please book a free consultation today and let one of our certified immigration lawyers review your documents before you leave and reach a point of no return. ***

and bibingka cornbread from The Park’s Finest, among others.

If this event was any indication of community interest and cohesiveness on promoting Filipino food—no airs of “mygrandmother-cooks-it-best” here— then, yes, Filipino food can finally have its moment.

“Filipino food in LA is a given and let me tell you why…We’re here. We have the talent. But the next step in Filipino food is you.

We need your support…It comes from us. If we don’t represent our own community, how will everybody else represent us?

We put in all the mad hours, the years of sacrifice. now we just turn to you guys, our communities. At the end of the day, when we are all together, we’re all crossing over…I challenge each and every one of us in this room to enjoy the food but also to tell everyone you know about it,” Cailan said.

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(Advertising Supplement)

Seven things you should not do when...

From Page 5

California court to return the child to California and get sole physical custody of your child. This can be enforced through law enforcement in other states. In addition, this would also be an ATROS violation.

Such a move would seriously undermine your claim for custody of the children.

Do not use your child as a messenger to communicate with your spouse Divorce process is a very difficult process for the children. Children often blame themselves for the divorce of their parents. Children sometimes manifest this through their academic performance during the divorce process. Do not involve the children in your divorce case.

Using the children to communicate messages to your spouse puts them in a difficult and very stressful situation. This will also affect your claim for custody of your children if you regularly involve your children in your attempt to communicate with your spouse. In addition, you should not say disparaging remarks about the other parent to your children.

Do not stalk your spouse in social medias such as facebook or tweeter.

Your spouse probably stopped informing you as to what is going on in his/her life at this point. You may be curious if your spouse hooked up with a third party or an old flamer. You may be curious what your spouse are telling your friends and family. Do not stalk your spouse in social media such as facebook. Do not hack into your spouse’s e-mail. This is a crime. Your spouse can also file a domestic violence restraining order against you for stalking. Most of the evidence obtained illegally is not admissible in court anyways. If you have been unfriended by your spouse, let it be.

Do not quit your job voluntarily If you think you can dodge child support and spousal support by quitting your job voluntarily, it is not going to happen. Your spouse’s lawyer will argue that there was no legitimate reason for you to leave your employment and may seek the court to impute income on you. Your spouse may seek vocational evaluation for purposes

of determining your earning capacity. In addition, the amount of income you will lose by quitting is substantially more than the money you will owe in child or spousal support. Even if you are successful in dodging the support orders by quitting your job, your spouse can modify them back up the moment you go back to the work force.

If you have been served with divorce papers and are unsure how to react, seek professional help before you dig yourself deeper in the hole. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration.

He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com. Visit our website at kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

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