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w w w. a s i a n Volume 24 - No. 33 • 2 Sections - 16 Pages

.com T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

AUGUST 25-31, 2017 Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

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Human rights lawyers urge President to stop brutal war on drugs

by ADOR

VINCENT S. MAYOL Inquirer.net

CEBU CITY—A group of human rights lawyers in Central Visayas has joined calls for President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the government’s bloody war on drugs and to create an independent commission to look into the spate of drug-related killings in the country.

In a resolution, the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) denounced the summary executions which the lawyers described as “barbaric, unconstitutional, and very un-Christian.”

“Our country today has become one huge national slaughterhouse where suspected drug users and pushers have been gunned down with impunity by vigilantes and police officers,” said

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

For Covered California, uncertainty is the new certainty SACRAMENTO — Covered California’s board made several multimillion-dollar decisions Thursday, Aug. 17, all addressing one unsettling theme: uncertainty.

Over and over, board members blamed “uncertainty” at the federal level for interferCovered California Executive ing with their ability Director Peter Lee to finalize premiums Photo by Max Whittaker for 2018 and prepare consumers for open enrollment, which begins Nov. 1.

In response to that uncertainty, the board agreed to delay a critical decision on 2018 rate hikes, boost Covered California’s marketing budget by more than $5 million and allow PAGE A3

Footage of Filipino son and mother receiving racist remarks by lesbian couple goes viral VIDEO footage showing a young Filipino man and his mother being verbally harassed by a lesbian couple has gone viral since being posted on Twitter on August 13.

“Go back to ‘Filipinoville’ and get out of our country,” said one woman to Angelo Cabuang, the video’s poster. “You don’t walk around acting like a pig,” the woman added. Her partner stood by smirking.

In the original tweet, Cabuang said the reaction was in response to a burp he let out at a Save Mart market.

“I literally burped at Save Mart and a racist couple reacted by calling us pigs and telling us to go back to ‘Filipinoville,’” the tweet read, followed by a laughing emoji.

As the video went viral, Cabuang went to his followers and asked if they wanted to see PAGE A3

FLAG-7 led by its chairman Democrito Barcenas.

Copies of the FLAG-7 resolution will be sent to the Office of the President and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III “for their information and guidance.”

FLAG-7 said the killings, a number of which are perpetrated by police officers, have continued since President Duterte launched an intensified campaign against illegal drugs in July 2016.

The human rights group said an independent commission composed of retired Supreme Court justices with proven integrity, probity, and independence must be created to conduct an impartial investigation on the “uncontrolled” series of killings.

“The planned Senate investigation is merely PAGE A2

BACK IN MARAWI. President Rodrigo Duterte returned to Marawi on Thursday, Aug. 24, the same day soldiers were reported to have recaptured the Grand Mosque in the war-ravaged city. This was the third time that Mr. Duterte visited the city since fighting broke out between government forces and pro-Islamic State extremist groups in the area. The conflict had prompted him to put Mindanao under martial law.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Go

SC forms team to examine Duterte still ‘in full control’ of drug war ballots in Marcos vs Robredo election protest

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

THE Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), has formed a retrieval team to secure ballot boxes being questioned in connection with former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s electoral protest against Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo.

According to the court’s resolution dated August 8, the retrieval team is tasked to locate and examine all ballot boxes in the provinces and cities subject to the poll protest in order to facilitate its retrieval and transport to the SC compound in Manila for revision. waThe revision stage is the third part of an electoral protest, in which the questioned ballot boxes will be opened and votes will be recounted and tallied through the use of vote-counting machines or manually and visually.

The SC Gymnasium will be used for the revision proceedings. The court also approved the use of two more areas, including the a portion of the fourth floor parking level of the SC-Court of Appeals Multi-Purpose Building, as well as a room at PAGE A4

MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, August 22 assured that President Rodrigo Duterte remains “in full control” of the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s enforcement of the administration’s crackdown on illegal drugs.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella refuted accusations that Duterte has lost control of the police amid the controversial killing spree—particularly of the recent killing of a Grade 11 student during an anti-drug operation last week.

“Malinaw naman na (It’s very clear that) the president is in full control,” Abella told reporters.

17-year-old Kian Loyd Delos Santos was killed during an anti-drug operation PAGE A3

FUNERAL PROTEST. The children of Leover Miranda stand behind the hearse that carried their father’s remains to the Manila North Cemetery where he was buried on Sunday, Aug. 20.

Miranda was one of dozens of drug suspects killed in several massive anti-drug operations in Metro Manila and Bulacan province last week.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Bob Dungo Jr.

Court affirms Pemberton’s conviction on killing of Laude

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

THE Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld with finality its earlier decision convicting United States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton for killing Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude in October 2014.

In a resolution issued on In this April 17 photo, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Tuesday, August 15, the apJr. arrived at the Supreme Court to pay the bond for his poll protest pellate court’s former Special 16th Division dismissed the against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Philstar.com photo by Miguel De Guzman appeal filed by Pemberton

seeking to reverse the CA’s decision last April, which affirmed the earlier ruling of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) against him.

“With respect to Pemberton’s motion, we maintain our ruling that his invocation of self-defense is an admission of the killing and of its authorship,” the CA decision read, penned by Associate Justice Marlene Gonzales-Sison.

The CA said that Pemberton’s arguments are a mere “rehash of issues” already disPAGE A3

United States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton Photo from Olongapo City Jail

Viacom pulls out Nickelodeon theme park project in Palawan VIACOM International Media Networks (VIMN) will no longer pursue the plan to construct the heavily-opposed Nickelodeon theme park in an island considered as the Philippines’ “last ecological frontier.”

In a statement released Tuesday, August 22, VIMN said it has reached an agreement with Coral World Park to discontinue the licensing agreement for the attraction in Coron island located in Palawan.

The planned attraction, which was first announced in January of this year, was met with fierce criticisms from environmental advocates and other groups, including the Tag-

banua Tribes of Coron Island Association, Incorporated (TTCIA).

“VIMN has mutually agreed with Coral World Park to discontinue the IP licensing agreement for the Nickelodeon-branded attraction and resort that was intended to be part of Coral World Park’s planned development in the western Philippine province of Palawan,” Corporate Communications Asia’s Senior Director Adeline Ong said.

Slated to open in 2020, the project aims to build a 400-hectare undersea attraction and resort in Coron that will feature Nickelodeon’s iconic properties like ‘SpongeBob

SquarePants,’ ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ and ‘Dora the Explorer.’

Despite assurance from the developers that the environment will be preserved, the conservation community called on for the cancellation of the project over possible damage to the marine ecosystem.

“Therefore, VIMN and Nickelodeon will no longer be involved with this proposed development. We wish Coral World Park well,” Ong added.

Environmental advocates lauded VIMN’s decision to scrap the project.

“We commend Viacom Interna-

tional Media Networks, the media company that owns Nickelodeon, for heeding to the call of over 260,000 online petitioners and local communities to disengage with Coral World Park,” said Save Philippine Seas executive director Anna Oposa.

Oposa earlier lead an online campaign against project on Bataris. org.ph.

“VIMN’s decision to cut-off its ties with CWP shows that the real power lies in the hands of the people, especially our Tagbanua brothers and sisters, who fiercely opposed the project,” she added. (Dana Sioson/ AJPress)

A

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august 25-31, 2017 • OC/IE asIaN JOuRNaL

From the Front Page

Duterte still ‘in full control’...

PAGE A1 in Caloocan City on Wednesday, August 16 after allegedly pulling a gun on police officers.

A CCTV footage, however, showed Delos Santos being dragged by the police to the spot where he was killed. Witnesses also gave statements supporting the footage, adding that the police gave Delos Santos a gun and

told him to run.

The teenager’s death has sparked public outrage, and various groups joined in a “Justice for Kian” rally the following Monday, August 21. Several rallyists expressed sentiments that Duterte seemed to have lost control of the police.

“I think they misread the situation. The president is very con-

cerned that these things will be properly handled and properly managed,” Abella further said.

In a statement, United States Ambassador the Philippines Sung Kim extended his condolences to the family and friends of Delos Santos. He also joined the call for “full accountability” in the killing of the teenager.

“My condolences go out to the family and friends of Kian,” the U.S. Ambassador said in a tweet.

Malacañang earlier assured that “mistakes and illegal acts (by the police) would not be tolerated.”

“This deeply regrettable incident has triggered deep public sentiment, and challenges those in law enforcement to be wary of the reckless exercise of power and authority,” Abella said.

He added, “The President, who continues to vigorously pursue the dismantling of drug apparatus, ensures that erring enforcers will be properly investigated.”

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has begun its formal investigation into the death of Delos Santos.

The three cops involved in the operation were relieved of their post amid the investigation. They were Police Chief Insp. Amor Cerillo, commander of Police Community Precinct 7, PO3 Arnel Oares, PO1 Jeremiah Pereda and PO1 Jerwin Cruz.

In a separate statement, the PNP asked the public to not generalize the drug war based on the death of Delos Santos.

“This is a separate incident.

Huwag natin i-generalize na (Let us not generalize that) because of one incident, lahat ng (all) police operation[s] will result as same as to Kian,” PNP Spokesperson Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said.

The Philippine government’s so-called drug war has been highly criticized by the international community and various human rights groups over its alleged thousands of state-sanctioned killings and rights abuses, which in turn, had been repeatedly refuted by the Duterte administration.

Carlos noted that there has been about 1.039 million drug personalities who surrendered to the authorities since Duterte launched the campaign in July last year. He also cited the arrest of about 90,000 drug suspects

SOLAR POWER. President Rodrigo Duterte receives a special “Digong solar panel” from Leandro Leviste, Solar Philippines president and chief executive officer, during the inauguration of its factory at Barangay Sta. Anastacia in Sto. Tomas,Batangas on Wednesday, Aug. 23. mManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

Human-rights lawyers urge...

PAGE A1 a damage control and cannot ferret out the truth because it is dominated by President Duterte’s spineless apologists,” FLAG-7 said.

FLAG-7 is the first and largest group of human rights lawyers established in the nation. The group, which aims to protect and promote of human rights and civil liberties, was founded in 1974 by former Senators Jose Diokno, “who violated the law” but were still alive and detained.

“Let us not generalize the incident involving the minor. Iba po ‘yan sa pang araw-araw na nagaganap (This is different from what is happening everyday),” the PNP official added.

On Sunday, August 20, all members of the Senate majority, except Senator Manny Pacquiao, reportedly signed a resolution seeking an investigation into the apparent abuses of the PNP in the war on drugs.

According to Inquirer, the senators have agreed to tap Senator Panfilo Lacson’s committee on public order to investigate Delos Santos’ death and further “determine the accountability of the PNP in the conduct of the antiillegal drug campaign that may have resulted in unnecessary and unjustified deaths and/or killings.” n

FINAL FAREWEL. Schoolmates of Kian Lloyd Delos Santos cry as they view his remains at the Our Lady of Lourdes College in Valenzuela City. De los Santos will be buried on Sunday, Aug. 27.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

Lorenzo Tañada and Joker Arroyo during the Martial Law Era under President Ferdinand Marcos.

Based on the records of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), 205 drug suspects were killed in alleged shootouts with policemen in the region while 213 others were killed from unidentified gunmen from July 1, 2016 to August 15.

Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, director of PRO-7, maintained that drug suspects who were killed in legitimate police operations placed the lives of the op-

eratives in danger.

At least 11,122 drug suspects were arrested in Central Visayas from July 1, 2016 to August 15 while 109,301 drug users and pushers surrendered at the onset of Oplan TokHang or Toktok Hangyo, a police door-to-door anti-drug campaign where drug suspects were asked to surrender and sign documents renouncing their drug-induced life.

Since the war on drugs started last year, the PRO-7 has seized a total of 40,042 grams of shabu (methamphetamine) worth P472.5 million. n

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Dateline USa

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A

Filipina pleads guilty to stealing $100,000 from US Navy base KANSAS CITY - A Filipino woman has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $100,000 (P5 million) from a United States Naval base in Japan, according to Federal prosecutors on Monday, August 22.

Cynthia Lopez Creseni on Friday, August 18, pleaded guilty to theft, of public money amounting to $99,068 from the Morale Welfare and Recreation Center (MWR) at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.

The Filipina, who had worked at the base since 2000, was the lead cashier of the game/slot

room when the incident occurred. She officially reported the missing funds after returning from her vacation in U.S. in February 2015 and initially denied taking the money.

She was then placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

Interviews of Creseni’s coworkers suggested that the Filipina is suffering from financial difficulties.

Creseni, after some time, vacated her home in Japan and moved to the Philippines. Efforts to locate had failed, until inves-

tigators learned that she flew to U.S. in July 2015.

She was located in Overland Park, Kansas and arrested by federal agents on January 24 earlier this year over immigration violations for overstaying her visa.

Sentencing is scheduled for the fourth of January next year.

The case is being prosecuted

by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Moore; and was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). (AJPress)

For Covered California, uncertainty...

PAGE A1 its participating insurers to make higher profits in the future — under certain circumstances.

“The lack of clarity and direction at the federal level continues to be a challenge,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee. “While we are doing our best to manage a difficult situation, we hope Congress and the administration will provide clear guidance on how [they intend] to stabilize the individual insurance market.”

One of the most pressing questions facing Covered California and other Obamacare exchanges across the country is whether President Donald Trump will continue to fund critical subsidies that help reduce many consumers’ out-of-pocket expenses.

The White House announced this week it would fund those socalled cost-sharing reduction payments this month but did not say whether it would continue to do so after that.

Covered California is seeking a long-term commitment to fund the subsidies, which are available only to consumers whose incomes are low enough to qualify and who purchase silver-level plans, the second-least expensive among the exchange’s four tiers of coverage.

The subsidies reduce what they pay for medical expenses such as copayments and deductibles.

Earlier this month, the exchange announced proposed average statewide rate hikes of 12.5 percent for 2018. It also floated an additional average surcharge of 12.4 percent on silver plans if the federal government does not commit to making the payments.

Covered California was sup-

posed to decide by the end of this month whether to apply the surcharge next year. But on Thursday, its board announced it will push the deadline to Sept. 30.

“Our hope is that by changing the deadline to allow Congress to act, we will not have to deal with the … surcharge,” Lee said.

The surcharge would vary by region and plan, ranging from 8 percent to 27 percent — on top of the regular annual premium increases, Lee said.

Covered California consumers who receive tax credits to reduce their monthly premiums would not bear the full brunt of the increase, however, because those credits would also rise.

Delaying the decision until the end of September doesn’t leave much time for Covered California — its health plans — to finalize rates and prepare consumers to renew their health plans or shop for new ones, said Diana Dooley, board chair and secretary of the state Health and Human Services Agency.

But the board doesn’t want to raise silver plan rates prematurely, in case Congress acts next month to fund the cost-sharing subsidies on a more durable basis, she said.

If Congress doesn’t act until the very end of September, “that will put extraordinary pressure on our system,” she said.

Charles Bacchi, president and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans, said 1.2 million renewal packets will have to be dispatched to enrollees on a very tight timeline.

“It is going to be a heavy lift, but the plans will work to do the best we can under difficult circumstances,” he said.

SEA TRAINING. Members of the Royal Thai Navy “arrest” drug dealers aboard the Philippine Navy’s BRP Capones off Manila Bay during the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training Exercise, an annual undertaking led by the U.S. Coast Guard.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

The board also agreed to modify its contracts with participating insurers to allow them to make higher profits in 2019, 2020 and 2021 if they lose money next year as a result of continued uncertainty or changes in existing federal policy.

For example, one way insurers could lose money is if the federal government stops enforcing the Obamacare requirement to have health insurance, known as the individual mandate, Covered California said.

The change also requires plans that reap increased profits next year — again, because of uncertainty or changes in federal policy — to lower their premiums over the next one to three years.

Lee explained that Covered California’s insurers usually make a profit of about 1 to 3 percent annually. But, for example, if one should lose money next year, its profit margin could grow to 6 to 8 percent in the subsequent three years, he said.

Any profit increase would be decided on a case-by-case basis and depend on the amount of the loss, he said.

The contract amendment would not change any laws or violate any rules, such as the Medical Loss Ratio provision of the Affordable Care Act, Lee said. That provision requires most insurance companies that cover individuals and small businesses to spend at least 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical care and the remaining 20 percent on administration, marketing and profit.

Consumer advocates testified Thursday that they were initially skeptical of the change, but they now hope it will save consumers

Footage of Filipino son...

PAGE A1 another one. The poll had 1,230 votes where 92 percent said yes.

In the second video, Cabuang’s mother is seen defending her son, saying that he is not acting like a pig. The original harasser’s partner responds in disbelief.

The couple is then seen reacting to being videoed and accusing Cabuang for not recording what he did. “That’s what I love about you internet freaks,” said the partner. “You love to videotape other people after the fact, and then you videotape our reaction.”

“She don’t call people pigs unless they’re pigs,” said the initial harasser to Cabuang’s mother who told the woman that she didn’t see what happened. “I don’t need to, she’s my wife. You

Court affirms Pemberton’s conviction...

PAGE A1 cussed in its decision in April 3 of this year.

In its recent resolution, the court again dismissed Pemberton’s argument that he killed Laude in self-defense after the latter allegedly attacked him when he discovered Laude’s real gender.

“The allegation of Pemberton that he was slapped by Laude could not even be corroborated by any medical findings. Worthy to note that according to Pemberton, the slap he allegedly received made his ear ring which if true should have promoted PAGE A4 Pemberton to immediately seek

FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS

( Mt Carmel, Mt Beatitude, Mt.Tabor, Cana, Capernum, Nazareth, Mt. of Olives, Old & New Jerusalem, Bethlehem Qumran, Masada, Jericho )

Dec 3 to 14, 2017

Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Alvin Cachola

have a problem with her, you go through me.”

Towards the end of the video, a third party comes and tries to settle the argument. One of the women is seen giving the middle finger gesture to the video. When Cabuang’s mother tells the couple that she will report them, one asked, “Who are you going to report it to?”

The original video has garnered over 1,300 retweets and over 2,700 likes since being posted. Many Twitter users have expressed support for Cabuang, including Michael Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, CA. His tweet read, “Sorry about what happened to you and your family. Racism has no place in our great city. Have a great school year.”

Seeing as the harassers were lesbians, many from the LGBTQ community also showed their support for Cabuang, and their disapproval for the couple. “On behalf of me and many of the rest of the LGBTQ [community], they are not [a part] of our community with this bigotry. Shame on them,” read one tweet by Twitter user @kitcatbar.

The video took place in a Save Mart store on Quail Lakes Drive in Stockton, CA — a city with a strong Filipino community dating back to the peak of early Filipino immigration in the 1920s to 1930s.

Cabuang, who attends the University of San Francisco according to his Twitter, tweeted, “After living in a diverse place like SF for a while, we can sometimes forget that racism exists.” (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

medical attention,” the CA said.

The court reiterated that selfdefense implied Pemberton’s admission that he committed the criminal act.

It further said that the U.S. marine’s immediate escape from the Celzone Lodge in Olongapo City is a sign of guilt.

“The bits of evidence, pieced together, point to Pemberton as the killer of Laude. Ostensibly, our rules make no distinction between direct evidence of a fact and evidence of circumstances from which the existence of a fact may be inferred. Pemberton’s criminal liability for homicide stands,” the CA added.

The court, likewise, upheld its order to Pemberton to pay Laude’s family P4.32 million for loss of earning capacity, P30,000 for exemplary damages, P75,000 for civil indemnity, P75,000 for moral damages, and P155,250 for the wake, burial, and related expenses.

The CA also maintained it its affirmation on the RTC’s ruling which sentenced Pemberton to a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment.

Pemberton is currently detained at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. n

Havan�, Cub� May 22 to 29, 2018

May 22, 2018 (Tuesday - Day 1) Los Angeles to Havana, Cuba Depart from LAX to Havana, Cuba. Upon arrival in Havana, meet our guide and transfer to the hotel for dinner.

May 23, 2018 (Wednesday - Day 2) Havana, Cuba Our day will begin with mass at the Cathedral of Havana located in the center of Old Havana. After On board meals are served mass, proceed for a city tour of Old Havana with an experienced local tour guide. The tour will take 4 DEC-Day 2 - (Mon) - Arrive at Ben Gurion airport Tel-Aviv/Tiberias place on foot and you will visit all the squares of Old Havana. Take in the astonishing beauty of the After you have finished Immigration, collect Luggage then Meet our guide and driver. Transfer to Tiberias , Dinner /overnight Gai Beach Hotel historical buildings, sculptures, and monuments. After lunch you will have free time to bargain at the 5 DEC-Day 3 - (Tues) Cesarea /Haifa San Jose Craft Market. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) 3 DEC-Day 1 - (Sun) LAX/TLV

There was a certain man in Caesarea” Drive north to the sparkling port city of Haifa, viewing Caesarea en route, the city built by Herod. In Haifa, we will ascend Mt. Carmel; home of the two prophets Elijah and Elisha, Visit the Stella Maris Church celebrate Holy Mass in the main Altar, after enjoy the panoramic view of the Mediterranean, continue to Tiberias for dinner and overnight. Gai Beach Hotel (BB,D)

May 24, 2018 (Thursday – Day 3) Havana, Cuba This morning, we will visit the Convent and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem. This religious complex is the most extensive of those surviving in Old Havana. Here you will attend mass. After mass, you will meet with the 6 DEC-Day 4 - (Wed) - Tiberias/ Cana/ Nazareth Holy Eucharist at the Church of annunciation “And Mary said, Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your nuns and assist with projects of the day. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. In the evening you will assist word” We head to Cana of Galilee, where Our Lord performed the first miracle – changing water into wine at the wedding feast. Here, we’ll a Cuban cultural demonstration. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) invite couples to renew their marriage vows. Continue to Nazareth, Celebrate Holy Eucharist at the Church of Annunciation, visit St Joseph workshop. We return to Gai Beach Hotel for our dinner and overnight. (BB/D)

07 Dec-Day 5 - (Thurs) Mt Tabor/Mt Beatitude/Capernum/ Sea of Galilee/Tabgha

We drive to Mount Tabor, celebrate Holy Eucharist at the church of Transfiguration, Visit Mt. of Beatitudes the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people. enjoy a scenic boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, home of Our Lord during his ministry. After visiting the Synagogue where he taught, proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Gai Beach Hotel for our dinner and overnight. (BB/D)

May 25, 2018 (Friday – Day 4) Havana, Cuba You will have mass at the Convent and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem. After mass, you will continue to assist the nuns. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. This evening in Havana, we will plan an exciting tour of the historical complex of Castillo del and La Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana. If the timing and weather conditions permitted, you will witness the special nightly cannon at the fortress. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

08 DEC-Day 6 - (FRI)-Jordan valley/Jericho/Bethany/Jerusalem

May 26, 2018 (Saturday – Day 5) Havana, Cuba Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Havana. After, you will visit the Abel Santamaria School for the blind, located on the grounds of an old military base. The school aims to integrate the children into mainstream schools as soon as the child is ready through an outreach program which continues to support children at their secondary schools. You will spend time meeting the students 09 DEC-Day 7 - (Sat) - Jerusalem (old City) - Via Dolorosa and teachers. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit Cintio Vitier Community Project Center, where arts Holy Sepulcher Church “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place of a skull, which was called in Hebrew Golgotha” Enter the old city of Jerusalem, Sing a hymn in the Church of St Anne and view the pool of Bethesda. Visit the Chapel of Flagellation, Programs of all types including painting, ceramic and dance hosted. You will learn about this community project and hear from Lithostrotos, where the soldiers played the Game of Kings, and Arch of the “Ecce Homo”. Follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) to the the director of the program, Pedro Pulido. End your day with a panoramic drive through Modern Havana riding in old classic cars holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, visit Golgotha and the tomb of Our Lord. This afternoon drive to Mount Zion, from the 1950’s. Be sure to have your camera ready for this unique experience. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Drive the Jordan Valley to Jericho, the oldest inhabited city in the world. View the Mount of temptation, where Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert. Visit the ancient ruins of the wall. Drive through Wadi Welt to view St George’s Monastery. Continue to Bethany celebrate Holy Eucharist, and then visit the tomb of Lazarus. Arrive in Mount Scopus; enjoy the first view of Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at Notre DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB,D)

to visit the upper room, revered as the site of the last supper. Then survey the Dormition Abbey’s, St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied Jesus three times. Dinner and overnight at NOTRE DAME Vatican Hotel (BB.D)

10 DEC-Day 8 - (SUN) - Mount of Olives/Gethesemane/Bethlehem/New City

Holy Eucharist celebration at the Church of all nations Main altar Arrive at the Mount of Olives and enjoy the beautiful view of Jerusalem. Visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the Dominus Flevit Church”God wept “& walk the Palm Sunday road to the Garden of Gethesemane and the Church of all Nations. This Afternoon drive to Bethlehem, a city whose name the whole world recognizes ,visit the Church of Nativity, the manger, Church of St Catherine, The Grotto of St Jerome, and the shepherds fields. Dinner and overnight at NOTRE DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB ,D).

May 27, 2018 (Sunday – Day 6) Havana – Las Terrazas – Vinales Valley Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Havana. Then you will be transferred to Las Terrazas for a tour of the community. Visit the neighborhoods, their schools, artists and community projects in the area. You will then continue to Vinales. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel for check in and rest. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

May 28, 2018 (Monday – Day 7) Vinales Valley Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Vinales. Then you will have a sightseeing Visit the Western Wall , the only part of the Herodian temple still standing and the most sacred place in the world for Jews. We drive to Dead tour. There is an opportunity to visit a Tobacco Farm and learn how to expertly roll a cigar. You will Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Visit Qumran; see the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada, visit Herod’s also have the chance to visit an interesting site called the Prehistoric Wall and to take a Boat Ride fortress and the Jew’s last stronghold against the Roman. Return to Jerusalem Overnight Notre Dame Vatican Hotel (BB,D) through underground caves known as The Indian Caves. Then visit Finca Agroecolgica El Paraiso 12 DEC-Day10 - (TUE) Jerusalem New City where you will have lunch. After you will visit the gardens with the breath-taking views. Return to the hotel where you will have Return to the new City, Including the Temple Model to see a scale model of Jerusalem as it was during the time of Jesus. Here we will have a dinner. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) 11 DEC-Day 9 - ( MON) - Jerusalem/Dead Sea/Qumran/Masada

better understanding between old and New Jerusalem. Next to Ein Karem, birthplace of St John the Baptist, visit the Visitation church where Mary proclaimed her famous “Magnificat Overnight NOTRE DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB,D)

13 Dec-Day 11 - (WED) Jerusalem/TLV/LAX

Breakfast rest of the morning Free time early PM dinner has to check out from the hotel, around 8:30 PM flight from TLV/ LAX in the 13 Dec flight depart TLV at 1:00 Am Dec 14,2017 ( end of Service )

May 29, 2018 (Tuesday – Day 8) Vinales – Havana – Los Angeles Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home as your trip comes to an end. (Meal: Breakfast)

A

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Philippine Navy receives radar blimp from US

BATA AIMS. Philippines’ billiard icon, Efren “Bata” Reyes, aims for his shot in the quarterfinals match of the Men’s English Billiards Doubles competition on August 22 in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

PNA photo by Primo Agatep

THE United States has turned over a new Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) to the Philippine Navy which will enhance its maritime surveillance capabilities.

The rapidly-deployable 28M Class TARS can rise to an altitude of 5,000 feet while tethered by a single cable. It is a self-sustained, unmanned lighter-than-air platform, according to the U.S. Embassy.

This donation would enhance the Navy’s capability in maritime intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance by detecting maritime and air traffic within the country’s coastal waters.

The TARS will also be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations.

The donation of the radar system is part of the U.S. Maritime Security Initiative, a program for Southeast Asian countries that seek to improve their abilities to address maritime challenges.

About 16 personnel of the Philippine Naval Information and Com-

The 28M Class Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) at the Naval Education and Training Command in Zambales. The rapidly-deployable 28M Class TARS can rise to an altitude of 5,000 feet while tethered by a single cable. It is a self-sustained, unmanned lighter-than-air platform, according to the U.S. Embassy.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Manila

munication Technology Center went through a six-week training program to learn assembly, handling, operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of the radar blimp.

They will instruct the next batch of operators.

“The TARS includes a weather station that provides telemetry data for the monitoring of ambient temperature, pressure, wind speed

and other pertinent parameters to successfully operate the system,” the U.S. Embassy said.

The TARS will be stationed at the Naval Education and Training Command in Zambales, the largest Navy base with flat terrain. It also fits the minimum requirement of 300 square feet for the launching of the radar system. (Patricia Lourdes Viray/Philstar.com)

No way Pacquiao-Horn rematch happens in Philippines, says Arum San Antonio, Texas’ last WWII veteran, a Filipino, dies at 101

by AbAc

cordero Philstar.com

PROMOTER Bob Arum on Wednesday said the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn being staged in the Philippines in December is not going to happen.

“It’s impossible,” Arum told The Star a day after Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo bared plans to bring the rematch between Pacquiao and Horn to the Philippines.

“It’s impossible because we have a contract that if there’s a rematch it has to be in Australia,” said Arum of the deal signed by both camps, including Pacquiao and Horn and their respective promoters and the Queensland government.

If Pacquiao insists on doing a fight in the Philippines in December, then the 38-year-old fighting senator should start looking for an opponent because it’s not going to be the rematch with the 29year-old Australian.

“Manny can say, ‘Okay, I’m not doing the rematch.’ Then Horn will fight somebody else in Australia and tell Manny, ‘See you next year.’ But if he (Pacquiao) wants to do the rematch and do it this year it has to be in Brisbane,” Arum stressed.

The first fight took place last

July 2 at the Brisbane Stadium, before a live audience of over 51,000. The rematch is expected to be bigger than the first one, and Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announced the other day that a deal is in place for a November 12 fight.

Arum said the only way for the rematch to be held outside of Australia, including the massive Philippine Arena just north of Manila, is if Horn, now the WBO welterweight champion, agrees to it.

“Unless Horn agrees otherwise, and Horn is not going to agree. Nobody has even talked to Horn about doing the fight in the Philippines,” said Arum, who was startled to read the news from the Philippines Tuesday that there are talks on bringing the rematch across.

“So, I mean, I don’t know who started this and what it’s about.

This is like ridiculous,” said Arum.

The Philippine tourism official said she’s been in talks with Party List Representative Eric Pineda, who is also the business manager of Pacquiao, regarding the hosting of the rematch in December.

Arum said he’s surprised why some people are even talking about staging the rematch when they have nothing to do with the fight itself.

“This is all nonsense. The contract with Horn and Duco (Events of Australia) is with Top Rank.

And it has specific language,” said Arum.

“It just can’t happen. Period. It can’t happen,” said the 85-yearold American promoter.

It’s very unlikely for Horn to even think of coming over to the Philippines to defend his title against Pacquiao, unless the Philippine government offers him the moon and the stars.

Arum said the last time he heard of plans to bring a Pacquiao fight in the Philippines, President Duterte was not too excited.

“All we know is that when the President was asked whether the government would support a fight or put up the money for the fight, he said, “No. We’d rather spend the money on feeding poor people.’ And he’s right,” Arum told The STAR over the phone Wednesday morning.

The other day, the Brisbane Lord Mayor announced that they’ve gotten the commitment from Pacquiaothat he’s coming to Brisbane in November to do the rematch.

“Absolutely,” Arum said about the deal being in place, until he woke up hearing news that there are plans to bring the fight to the Philippines in December.

“It’s impossible,” he said.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Dominador Soriano, 101, the last World War II Filipino veteran of San Antonio, was buried on Wednesday, Aug. 8 at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. He died July 31 of a hemorrhagic stroke.

Soriano fought against the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. He was with both the Philippine Army and the U.S. Army during World War II and was one of fewer than 7,000 such veterans living in the U.S. Filipino army troops were integrated into the US Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) just before Japan invaded in 1941 and were among the first US soldiers to see combat in WWII. Soriano commanded Echo Company of the 83rd Infantry Regiment, which served under Gen. Douglas MacArthur. He and his men became coast watchers from an outpost on the eastern shore of Cebu Island, reporting on Japanese ships passing through the Tañon Strait in the

Dominador Soriano, San Antonio’s last WWII veteran, during his 101st birthday celebration last May. Iqnuirer.net photo

early days of the war, according a report by Expressnews.com.

He was wounded in the leg by a Japanese machinegun, and when Japan won in April 1942, he told his men not to surrender but go home. Soriano organized a guerrilla force, but in July 1944, he was betrayed by collabora-

tors, captured and tortured. After his release he kept working for the resistance until Japan surrendered Aug. 15, 1945.

After the war, Soriano became a lawyer for local farmers. When he was 52 his family arrived in the U.S. in 1971, and he settled in San Antonio, where two of his children live. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds.

But in 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the Rescission Act, which retroactively stripped Filipinos of service benefits that were promised them during World War II. His family says that the decision always bothered him.

Last year, Congress awarded all Filipinos who fought under the U.S. flag of a single Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The city of San Antonio honored Soriano last fall with its own citation.

Soriano spent his last days as a volunteer for the Catholic church next to his house, preparing food for poor families in his neighborhood. (Inquirer.net)

Fil-Am gymnast bags gold, repeats mom’s feat by olmin leybA Philstar.com

IT’S virtually liquid gold that runs through the veins of young gymnastics sensation Kaitlin de Guzman.

Gifted with the genes of a former Southeast Asian Games champion and a firm resolve to excel in the same battlefront, 17-year-old De Guzman carved her name in the company of greats by winning the Malaysia SEAG’s uneven bars event.

This she achieved 22 years after her mother, Cintamoni “Tammy” de la Cruz, crowned herself the golden girl of the exact event when the biennial SEA Games was held in the hilly Thai city of Chiang Mai. Tammy excitedly watched from the sidelines and recorded a video of Kaitlin’s moves and couldn’t be prouder to see her bask in glory and enjoy the very experience she had way back in 1995.

“Super proud! So excited!!!!

Dream come true,” an ecstatic Tammy, who also owns a bronze in the uneven bars from the 1997 SEAG, told The STAR.

Kaitlin de Guzman of the Philippines competes in the uneven bars of the women’s artistic gymnastics competition, where she won gold in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday, Aug. 22. Inset photo from the PSC shows Kaitlin with her mother Cintamoni, who won gold in the same event during the 1995 Chiang Mai SEA Games.

Philstar.com photo by Jun Mendoza

From club competitions in the U.S., Kaitlin shifted to international play and stuck gold on her SEA Games debut.

“I’m so very happy with my very first gold medal representing the Philippines,” Kaitlin said.

Proud mom said Kaitlin’s triumph was actually a pleasant surprise.

“We were not expecting her to win since this is just her first SEA Games,” said Tammy, who posted a winning 9.10 when she achieved her feat in 1995.

“All we were hoping for her is to qualify for the finals. This victory is a major surprise; that’s why we’re so happy with this achievement.” n

SC forms team to examine ballots in Marcos...

PAGE A1 the back of the Division Hearing room.

Additionally, the resolution states that the Revision Committees will be composed of a coordinator who shall be a lawyer not affiliated with the court, and a recorder and a representative from both each the protestant and protestee.

Each Revision Committee will receive P1,500 per clustered precinct for compensation and supplies. The coordinator will receive P780, while the recorder will receive P480 for the recorder. P184 will be allotted for supplies and materials.

On the other hand, compensation of the members of the panel of commissioners were fixed. Justice Jose Vitug as chairperson who will receive P50,000, while his members, lawyers Angelito Imperio and Irene Ragodon-Guevarra, will each receive P45,000 monthly.

Robredo won the May 2016

PAGE A3

vice presidential elections with only just 263,473 votes more than Marcos.

In his electoral protest, the former senator questioned over 39,221 clustered precincts, composing of 132,446 established precincts. He has already completed the payment of his P66.2-million protest fee.

In a statement, Marcos’ camp welcomed the PET’s resolution.

“We cannot wait for the actual process to start because it is the only way we’ll be able to ferret the truth. We have always maintained that the ballots themselves are the best evidence in any election protest. This is the reason why we have always pushed for the early revision of ballots,” lawyer Victor Rodriguez, Marcos’s spokesperson, said.

“We hope that this will expedite the process so this issue can be settled once and for all. The Filipino people deserve to know their real vice president is,” he added.

Robredo, on the other hand, is contesting 8,042 clustered precincts, consisting of 31,278 established precincts in her counterprotest. The PET has extended the vice president’s deadline to pay the remaining P7.43 million required to process her counter-protest.

On Wednesday, August 23, Piso Para Kay Leni group led by Museo Pambata chair Cristina Lim-Yuson asked the PET to reconsider its earlier decision dismissing their motion to pay the vice president’s remaining balance.

The petitioners, through their counsel, Purification BartolomeBernabe, the PET needs to reverse its earlier ruling as the issue is a matter of “transcendental importance.

“This is a necessary exercise of the right of suffrage considering that VP Leni will be deprived of her victory, we will be deprived of her victory because she is financially disadvantaged,” Bartolome-Bernabe said. (Dana Sioson/AJPress)

For Covered California, uncertainty...

money in the long run.

“We like the idea that it is balanced and if [there is profit], it could go to reducing premiums,” said Doreena Wong, project director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a Los Angelesbased civil rights group.

In another move tied to the uncertainty over federal policy, the board agreed to increase its marketing budget by $5.3 million, bringing the total to $111.5 million

for 2017-18. The additional money will pay for more radio and television spots, and more direct mail to consumers.

Some of the advertising will target Covered California enrollees who are losing their Anthem Blue Cross plan next year.

Anthem will exit the individual market in 16 of the state’s 19 pricing regions, which will force 153,000 enrollees to find new plans. Anthem cited uncertainty and market instability for its pull-

out.

“This open enrollment is going to be our most challenging since year one,” Lee said. (Ana B. Ibarra/ Kaiser Health News) This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KHN’s coverage in California is funded in part by Blue Shield of California Foundation. n

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D ateline PhiliPPines Impeachment complaint filed against Comelec chief

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

MANILA - An impeachment complaint has been filed against Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Andres Bautista for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and former Congressman Jacinto Paras filed the complaint before the House of Representatives on Wednesday, August 23.

The complaint stemmed from allegations of the Comelec chief’s estranged wife, Patricia Paz Bautista, that he had about one billion pesos of undeclared wealth in his 2016 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

“It is crystal clear that Bautista illegally acquired these assets as they are disproportionate to his salary as a public official; besides, his non-reporting of the same in his SALN further lends credence to the allegations that they are ill-

gotten,” the complaint read.

Topacio and Paras claimed that Bautista failed to declare his several bank accounts, condominium units in Taguig city and California, and other foreign investments in his SALN. Bautista was also accused of betraying public trust when he failed to prevent the incident dubbed as “Comeleak,” wherein the agency’s website was hacked resulted to the leak of voters’ personal data in 2016.

The complainants further stressed that Bautista failed to “promptly act” on the hacking incident, adding that he neglected his duties and responsibilities when he declined to assume “direct control and supervision” of the task force assigned to check the leak.

They likewise claimed that the Comelec chief obstructed justice when he cleared Smartmatic and Comelec IT specialists of any wrongdoing for the so-called

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio and former Rep. Jacinto Paras sign the impeachment complaint they filed against Comelec Chair Andres Bautista.

Photo from the Office of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez

“script tweak” during the consolidation or canvassing of results in the May 2016 elections.

“Such action constitutes betrayal of public trust… Obviously, Bautista is unworthy and undeserving of the office of Chairman, Commission on Elections, and should be impeached. No less than six commissioners of the Commission had denounced his ‘failed leadership’ and other transgressions,” the complaint further read.

Their complaint was endorsed

by Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia, Kabayan partylist Rep. Harry Roque, and Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino.

“I wouldn’t have endorsed it without the assurance from Mrs. Bautista that on the hearings she will appear and attest to the truthfulness of his affidavit and bring all the documentary evidence she mentioned in her complaint affidavit,” Roque said.

Meanwhile, Tolentino said he endorsed the complaint to give the Comelec chief an opportunity to to clear his name and refute the allegations against him.

Garcia, for her part, said now is the right time to check the “veracity” and “credibility” of the automated voting system.

Senator Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on banks, said Bautista will be summoned in the committee’s next hearing on money laundering to “shed light on this issue or in the absence thereof to submit a waiver to the bank so that the hearings can proceed without legal stumbling blocks.”

The committee also asked the Comelec chief to sign a waiver on secrecy of bank deposits, as Section 3 of Republic Act 1405 prohibits banks to disclose details on any bank account without written waiver from the concerned depositor.

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

MANILA - Any conditions on assistance the Philippines may receive from a foreign aid agency must be aligned with the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, a Palace official said.

Malacañang issued the statement on Sunday, August 20 after Washington-based Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) announced that the Philippines is among the candidate countries to receive assistance for 2018.

“We acknowledge and welcome the decision of the United States Millennium Challenge Corp to extend assistance to the Philippines after the first grant ended in May 2016,” Duterte’s spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

MCC said it will assess a country’s eligibility for the grant based on criteria such as the country’s demonstrated commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom,

Malacañang spokesperson Ernesto Abella Inquirer.net photo

and investments in its people.

Additional indicators include the country’s opportunity to reduce poverty and generate economic growth in the country, as well as the availability of funds.

The Philippines’ inclusion, Abella said, serves as a “recognition of the efforts” of the administration to “continue and

Bird flu strain in PH transmissible to humans

by LouiSe

Maureen Philstar.com

SiMeon

MANILA — The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that the first bird flu case in the country is an H5N6 strain, one that can be passed on to humans, but assured the public that transmission rate is “very, very low.”

Test results from the Australian Animal Health Laboratory showed that the avian influenza first detected in San Luis, Pampanga, and that has spread in Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija, is positive for the N6 strain subtype.

“H5N6 is one of the strains that could be transmitted to humans.

With this strain, it causes low morbidity, which is the infection and transmission, and an even lower mortality or death rate among humans,” Arlene Vytiaco, head of the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry’s animal disease and control division, said in a briefing on Thursday, Aug. 24.

Since the outbreak last August 11, the DA was only able to determine the H-subtype and had to send samples to Australia for further testing of the partner subtype.

Vytiaco explained that the H5N6 strain is relatively new as it emerged only in 2013 compared to the more virulent H5N1 strain which can also be transmitted to humans.

“Worldwide since 2013, only less than 20 cases have been detected and mostly in China. Compared with the N1 which had a 58 percent mortality rate among humans in 2004,” she said.

In Southeast Asia, three countries—Myanmar, Laos, and Viet-

nam—have the H5N6 strain and yet no human case transmission have been reported.

“In Myanmar alone, it is already endemic to them. Ever since they had an outbreak, it’s been present until now but no mortality case has been detected,” Vytiaco said.

Despite the low transmission rate, the DA still warned the public to be cautious and immediately report should there be flu-like symptoms especially to residents of the affected areas.

“We are doing everything to contain it, the fact that it did not further spread to other areas is a sign that we were able to contain.

But, we cannot be complacent and we have to complete the protocols before declaring that we are free from it,” Vytiaco said.

Transmission pattern Transmission from animals to humans can be through direct contact, either by respiratory secretion or fecal materials.

“Once it had a contact with your hand and body then say you accidentally scratch your eyes, there is port of entry already. It can also be through the contaminated materials that can be sources of infection,” she said.

“Another is through the chicken dung when dried, it becomes feather dust which could mix with the air we breathe,” she added.

The department said symptoms are general and similar to the ordinary human influenza which includes cough, colds, fever and lack of appetite, among others.

“We encourage that should there be early signs, they should go to the nearest DOH (Department of Health) clinics or satel-

SETTING SAIL ACROSS ASIA. After a successful trip to Brunei, traditional Balangay boats from the Philippines docked in Manila to mark the recently concluded Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. The Balangay, also the logo and symbol of Cinemalaya, is the huge boat with sail and outriggers that early Filipinos used to cross unchartered and untempered waters in search of a land where they could live in freedom. Early Filipinos were a people of the sea, living in coastal villages or near rivers. Boats were linked to many aspects of Filipino life: fishing, trade, warfare, piracy (traderaiding for goods and slaves), travel, communication, and dwelling.

Philstar.com photo by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo

DFA chief: PH will continue to assert claims amid ‘change of strategy’ in disputed sea

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

THE Philippine government maintained that it will not hand over any part of the country’s territory and will continue to assert its maritime claims in the disputed South China Sea. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano made the assurance on Tuesday, August 22, amid reports that Chinese vessels have been recently spotted near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine (South China) Sea. Critics have accused Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte of having “soft” stance in the maritime issue when the president appeared to have kept the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the back burner in pursuit of warmer economic ties with China.

In July 2016, the arbitration tribunal at The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines and concluded that China’s massive claim South maintain macroeconomic poliChina had no legal basis and cies while investing in human violates United Nations Convencapital development in health tion on the Law of the Sea (UNand educational systems and CLOS). improving social protection proThe top diplomat noted that grams to protect the poor.” the Philippine government, unHe credited the administration’s socioeconomic agenda for the Philippines’ inclusion in MCC’s list of candidate countries.

While the Philippine government welcomed the recent developments, Malacañang stressed that it will study the conditions set by the U.S. poverty reduction agency.

“While we are happy with this new development, our economic managers would study the conditions set by the MCC if these are aligned with the President’s priority agenda,” Abella added.

In December 2016, MCC deferred a vote on the re-selection of the Philippines, saying it withheld its second aid due to “significant concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.”

Its first grant, worth $434 million, expired in May last year. n

Palace: US aid conditions should be aligned with Duterte admin’s agenda

lite centers to have themselves checked,” Vytiaco said.

It would take 84 more days before the DA declares that the country may be bird flu free as the process will still include disinfection, rest period, restocking and cleaning in the next few months.

However, this is not an assurance that the case may no longer re-occur as this first bird flu may lead to a more susceptible Philippines to the virus.

“There’s always the possibility if we do not change the bad ways we’ve done before. We really have to emphasize early reporting and early detection for us to have a rapid action and be able to immediately address the problem,” Vytiaco said.

To allay fears of the consuming public, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said President Rodrigo Duterte himself will join a chicken boodle fight in San Fernando in Pampanga on Monday, Aug. 21.

“The president will personally eat balut, chicken and fried itik to say that it is safe to eat chickens and other poultry products,” he said.

“He will also acknowledge the support of the LGUs (local government units) and Army who helped.

And award the first payments to farmers whose fowls will be culled in efforts to clean up the area,” Piñol added.

Meanwhile, a total of 470,640 poultry heads have been culled in San Luis and the P51 million compensation has been downloaded to the region.

For Nueva Ecija, over 170,000 heads have already been culled. n

A

der the Duterte administration, has changed its strategy in dealing with territorial disputes.

Despite this, he assured that the current administration remains firm and will not give up give up the country’s maritime claims.

Cayetano also assured that Beijing is not invading a sandbar located some 2.5 nautical miles off Pag-asa Island.

This, following Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio’s report that Chinese ships are guarding Sandy Cay, which he described as an “invasion of Philippine territory by China.”

“Let me assure you that despite the lack of details that we give you, we will tell you if there is an alarming station or if the public is in danger or if we are going to take or step up certain actions that needs the public’s support,” Cayetano said.

He assured that reported presence of Chinese vessels near Pag-asa Island has already been “resolved diplomatically.”

In an earlier statement, Duterte also refuted Carpio’s claim.

“We were not invaded,” the president stressed. “I called the

ambassador nung nabasa ko (when I read [the report]). He said: ‘We will assure you that we are not building anything there’.”

A separate claim by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano alleged that China has planted its country flag on a sand cay seven nautical miles off Kota Island located at the West Philippine Sea. “According to the information that I received, a Chinese flag mounted on a steel pipe was discovered planted on a sand cay located seven nautical miles northeast off Kota Island. It was discovered around third week of July 2017. A Chinese vessel allegedly erected the said 3-meter high Chinese flag on a sand cay which is known to be within a Philippine-controlled area,” Alejano said.

The lawmaker also criticized the Foreign secretary’s socalled “strategy of silence”, urging the department to be more transparent on issues concerning the disputed territories.

He remarked that the DFA doesn’t necessarily have to release all the details, but it still “must release something for the consumption of the public.”

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AUGUST 25-31, 2017 • OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

‘Smuggling mafia’

FEATURES

EVERYONE is entitled to the benefit of the doubt and will get his day in court. In keeping with a long-running national tradition of believing the worst and jumping to conclusions, however, and because of the reputation of the agency involved, people tended to believe all or at least some portions of the speech delivered by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, naming the Bureau of Customs officials allegedly engaged in corruption.

Editorial

The speech, protected by parliamentary privilege, would have been shorter if Lacson had named the BOC officials who are not tainted by corruption. Lacson’s exposé bolstered President Duterte’s earlier lament that the BOC is “rotten to the core.” Crooks at Customs, Lacson said, collected “tara” or grease money at practically every step of shipment processing, with top officials allegedly receiving regular payoffs.

In detailing the “labyrinth and lexicon of the criminals” in the BOC, Lacson also claimed that Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon received P100 million as pasalubong or welcome gift upon assuming

the top BOC post. Faeldon, whose resignation from the bureau has been accepted by President Duterte, denied the accusation.

If even half of Lacson’s revelations about the “smuggling mafia” proved accurate, the BOC may have to be nuked to be rid of corrupt officials and personnel.

In previous years, there have been stories of even low-ranking BOC employees driving SUVs. Apart from trying to plug opportunities for corruption, the government should rethink the functions of the BOC. Tariff barriers are going down in a globalized economy and it’s possible to drastically

minimize the exercise of personal discretion by BOC personnel in assessing shipped items. Customs personnel can be subjected to random lifestyle checks, with revenue employees tapped for unearthing ill-gotten assets.

The culture of corruption in the BOC has persisted because Customs crooks have seen that they can get away with their crime, especially if they have influential protectors. The only way to stop impunity, short of subjecting the most notorious to Oplan Double Barrel or a “One Time Big Time” sweep, is to ensure that BOC crooks get punished, and quickly. (Philstar.com)

ManilaTImes.net photo

Duterte finally admits possible police abuses in his war against illegal drugs REST in peace, Kian delos Santos, who was The Fil-Am 17 years young when he was killed by police Perspective during an anti-drug operation last Thursday, August 17.

People all over the world, including inter- GEL SANTOS-RELOS national media organizations, government officials and even ordinary citizens, have expressed their outrage and called out Duterte for the gruesome killings in the Philippines.

Amid the mourning and the flak, many among the police and Duterte’s supporters have been spreading stories about Kian that he was a user and a courier who was caught with two sachets of shabu.

Police reports said Kian ran when he saw the police approaching him, then he allegedly pulled out a gun and fired at the policemen who, because “nanlaban ang suspect,” had to fire back. Another version was that his father was the real user/ pusher, while his father said he would submit himself to a drug test to prove otherwise.

But those who witnessed the killing said the 17-year-old boy was not armed at all, and that they believe he had been framed by the three police officers. Witnesses also said Kian was forced to hold a gun, fire and run. The poor boy was crying, pleading with the policemen to stop because he ”had an exam the next day.”

Kian wanted to be a cop someday, and in these cops’ hands were the guns that shot him and his dreams to death.

The aforementioned witness accounts and a CCTV footage disputed the police’ version of the story. The footage showed Kian being carried by two men to the place where his lifeless body was found.

Several lawmakers from the opposition and even Duterte’s own allies condemned the killing and have demanded an investigation, not only into Kian’s case, but also into the spike in killings lately.

The New York Times reported that “58 people suspected of selling or using

Commentary

FRANK CHING A YEAR after China lost an arbitration case brought against it by the Philippines over disputed territories in the South China Sea, Beijing has emerged the victor in real terms as it flouted the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling favoring Manila’s arguments based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). And then the Philippines, under President Rodrigo Duterte, made an about-turn, adopting a policy of cooperation with China.

Meanwhile, Vietnam, another country with territorial claims in the South China Sea, has bowed to China’s superior might after threats from Beijing, and ceased oil exploration activities in an area within its exclusive economic zone.

drugs have been killed in Manila and its northern suburbs in just three days, making this the deadliest week so far in President Rodrigo Duterte’s monthslong drug crackdown,” the police said on August 17.

The victims were mostly the poor and the helpless — not the big fish drug lords and traders.

As Al Jazeera news reported, Duterte’s critics said during the rally on Monday that demanded an end to the killings said “the death toll in Duterte’s war on drugs has now reached 13,000 - surpassing the number of deaths of anti-government activists during Marcos’ two decades in office.”

The report further said Government statistics reveal that since Duterte took office last year, around 3,451 “drug personalities” have been killed in gun battles with police, and this number is only up to July 26, 2017.

Moreover, about 2,000 more reportedly died in drug-related homicides. This would include attacks by motorcycle-riding masked gunmen and other assaults, while 8,200 homicide cases are “under investigation”.

On Monday, August 21, Duterte admitted in a press conference that there may have been abuses in his administration’s war on drugs. The president said he would not interfere in the investigation and if there would be charges filed against the policemen.

Kian delos Santos was but ONE of the many victims of Duterte’s war on drugs that has denied victims of their basic human rights. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which the Philippines is a signatory, stipulates: “Article 7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such

discrimination.

Article 8. Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10. Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11. (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed.

Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.”

The rich, the powerful, the well-connected were accorded these rights. The poor, powerless people like Kian were robbed of it.

I would like to share with you excerpts from a powerful essay written by a Filipino Jesuit priest, Fr. Joel E. Tabora, SJ, who, at 17, made the life-changing decision to serve God by being a priest: The war on drugs must be fought. The drug menace is international evil, driven by powerful forces of evil. This is still the case. It has for too long victimized our people with impunity.

But the war on drugs is fought ultimately because those forces of evil disrespect human lives. They are evil because they destroy human lives, human futures and human culture particularly in the Philippines. For cheap money, they bring their victims to chemically-induced highs, but cook and extinguish their brains till little is left of the human being. In this way, they destroy whole families and whole

communities. They attack the entire nation. The President has declared that the Philippines, corrupted by these drugs in all levels of government, local and national, and even in its security and its law enforcement agencies, is a narcotic state.

Push back is needed.

But not in the way it is being done. If the war on drugs is fought out of respect for human life, it must be guided by respect for human life. The President must be the first to cry out for this because that is why he is fighting the war in the first place, out of his love for the country, and especially out of his love for the poor. Where security and police forces are already flawed because of their vulnerability to corruption and disrespect for human life, even more care must be taken to lead them on the straight path, to direct them to destroy the enemy, and not the victims of the enemy. Certainly, the President must rally his forces to win the war and to legitimately defend their lives against the onslaughts of the enemy. At the same time, he must be keen not to encourage the dark culture of death against which he is fighting his war in the first place. High numbers of people killed dahil nanlaban — because they resisted — do not indicate the war on drugs being won.

Where the President himself was shocked at the extent of the use of drugs in this country and its corruptive effects, it may be helpful for him not only to declare that we are now a narcotic state but to make the nation aware of who exactly the big players are and where exactly the big distribution centers are located. He may wish to explain the operations of security forces against a strategy of winning against strategic targets. He may wish to tell us that if the war on drugs was not won within six months, where the nation now is in its strategy of winning this war.

He may wish to help us understand how he measures his successes, or even his failures.

He may acknowledge that since his war on drugs may groups in civil society and in faith-based communities are contribut-

ing to the war on drugs through personal and communal efforts at battling illegal drugs and helping their hapless victims.

He also may wish to state unequivocally that the killing of a Kian at seventeen does not advance the war on drugs.

It debases it.

Not too long ago, human rights lawyers associated with the Center Against Illegal Drugs (CAID) of the Ateneo de Davao University conducted a three-day seminar in Samal for law enforcers from Mindanao on human-rights-based law enforcement.

The intervention was very well received by the law enforcers. For many of them, it was the first time they had [been] given the opportunity to reflect systematically on their responsibilities as law enforcers in the protection of human rights. Perhaps something like this may be done in other parts of the country in order that our security forces gain personal insight into their responsibility to protect and not destroy, nor even to instrumentalize, human life.

The war on drugs is a battle for human life, for human dignity and the integrity of human society in the Philippine context. The enemy of the war on drugs is not human rights. The enemy of the war on drugs is thinking a President will be pleased with large numbers of chalkedup deaths “dahil nanlaban” that have no demonstrated strategic value in winning the war; or it is the Commander in Chief giving the troops the impression that the murder of such as Kian at seventeen is defensible in the context of a narcotic state.

The death of Kian is not defensible. He was only seventeen. Think of all the possibilities killed. Think of his goodness extinguished. Think of his bereaved family, friends and nation. #JusticeForKian! *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos

A year after losing arbitration, China wins control of South China Sea Little wonder, then, that last month, a year after the arbitration case, a spokesman of China’s foreign ministry, Geng Shuang, declared: “With the concerted efforts of China, the Philippines and other Asean countries, the situation in the South China Sea has stabilized and taken on a good trend.”

In other words, flouting international law works. With little external support, the small countries of Southeast Asia have little choice but to make the best of a bad situation.

China wants to keep it that way.

The week before Asean opened its annual meetings, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Asean members to unite against “nonregional forces”—rather like the fox telling chickens not to let anyone else into the henhouse.

The identity of these outside forces was clear to all. On August 7, the US, Japan and Australia held a ministerial meeting of the

Trilateral Strategic Dialogue and issued a joint statement. There was a paragraph on the South China Sea. “The ministers called on China and the Philippines to abide by the arbitral tribunal’s 2016 Award in the Philippines-China arbitration, as it is final and legally binding on both parties,” the statement said.

Responding to the announcement that China and Asean had reached agreement on a framework Code of Conduct on the South China Sea, the statement “urged Asean member states and China to ensure that the COC be finalized in a timely manner, and that it be legally binding, meaningful, effective and consistent with international law.”

China did not appreciate such unsolicited advice. Wang Yi said some countries “outside the South China Sea are still dwelling on the past and turning a blind eye to positive changes of

the situation.”

Officially, Beijing espouses a policy of resolving problems through dialogue and negotiations. But the reality of its military power is ever present. China claims almost the entire South China Sea. Thus, Duterte disclosed in May that President Xi Jinping had told him that if the Philippines tried to drill for oil in an area within Manila’s exclusive economic zone, China would declare war.

In June, after Vietnam granted the Spanish energy firm Repsol permission to drill for gas within its exclusive economic zone, China issued repeated warnings. Finally, Vietnam’s ambassador to China was told that, unless the drilling stopped, China would take military action. Hanoi backed down.

This month, Asean marked its 50th anniversary during its annual series of meetings, hosted this year by Manila. A statement

was issued after a meeting of its 10 foreign ministers. As in previous years, the South China Sea was discussed but, this time, the statement was cautiously worded and did not mention China by name.

But it did take note of “the concerns expressed by some Ministers on the land reclamations and activities in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang found comfort in the fact that the section on the South China Sea this year was “much shorter than that of the past” and did not mention China. He also declared that China had ceased its reclamation activities in 2015.

This was rebutted by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. “China’s

own reclamation work did not end in mid-2015 with the completion of its artificial islands in the Spratlys,” it said while releasing recent photographs. “Beijing continues to reclaim land farther north, in the Paracel islands.”

One person who believes that China had stopped reclamation is the Philippine foreign secretary, Alan Peter Cayetano. He had lobbied against referring to land reclamation in the Asean foreign ministers’ statement because the Chinese “are not claiming land anymore.” Evidently, however, his Asean associates weren’t as trusting and thus land reclamation was again cited.

So, ironically, despite losing in the arbitral tribunal, China has won effective control of the South China Sea. Unless the US, Japan, Australia and others are willing to go beyond issuing pious statements, China has shown that it pays to defy international law. (ManilaTimes.net)

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

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2

Get hired: how to move your job application ahead

by IrIs

VIcente/AJPress

Whether you’re a fresh graduate who has the faintest idea what it’s like to apply for a job, or someone who’s looking for a major career move, the whole process of seeking a post can be quite a challenge. tired of the frustrating course of applying and someone else taking it because they crop up as “more qualified” than you? Chill out! Most of the time it’s not about incompetence, sometimes, you just haven’t found the slick hacks to entice employers in saying, “hey! I’m calling dibs on this one.” here are some pointers to get you through applying and getting ahead on other applicants: Polish your resume Knockout credentials have no merit when laid out as crude.

It’s important that you organize the things that you want to put in your resume. remember: your resume is your ticket to the next phase which is the interview so if you don’t put more work and tweaks on it, you’ll lose your chance at selling yourself. these days a resume may be scanned in a matter of seconds — if at all.

highlight what you think are your selling points and outline it to the job posting. And please, put your latest email address, not from when you were a kid with lots of characters and numbers e.g aibisyosa16@gmail.com.

Prepare for the interview research on the company and job you’re applying to beforehand. Don’t just barge in without knowing what you’re putting yourself into.

Companies don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t know why or even if they want to work there. Look into the job position

Remember: employers do not want fake smiles or rehearsed answers during the interview. You need to make the hiring managers feel comfortable about you on an emotional level to They want to know whether you really align with their culture and the position. sell yourself and stand out.

responsibilities, accountabilities and growth opportunities. Being knowledgeable about these things creates an impression to the hiring managers that you mean business, and not someone who just wants to take any job you can get.

Network It’s time to make use of your connections specially in social media. Sometimes, job opportunities can arise in the unlikeliest places. Be open to communicating and networking with others in your field. Whether at industry events, over email, make the effort to connect with others.

Make sure to stand out In a very competitive market where everybody highlights their winning features, the challenge lies on how to brand yourself as a cut above the rest. It’s not enough to fire companies up with your resume and hoping you’ll get a call afterwards, you need to be a step ahead all the time, In a very competitive market where everybody highlights their winning features, the challenge be creative and unique. Ask the lies on how to brand yourself as a cut above the rest.

Inquirer.net photos right questions to find out what

Signs that you’re ready for a job change

by JennIfer

of your dreams.

Look the part First impressions might not always be accurate in real life but when it comes to seeking for a job, it is everything. Dress for the part of an upper or senior management (even if you are fresh out of college). hiring managers would only talk to you for a few minutes so make sure to leave a lasting impression.

Most of the time, people get eliminated because they have

bad postures, thus be confident and carry yourself well like a professional would.

While all of these are just things that could increase your chances at landing success, the power of whether or not you’re gonna get hired lies solely on your own ability and remember, getting rejections is not the end of the world. Don’t stop looking until you find the job that matches your values and meets your needs.

do it right: writing the perfect resume by elIJah

roderos AJPress

sorIano

AJPress

Our jobs occupy a big chunk of our lives. that’s why it’s no surprise it is called occupation. to quote Apple founder Steve Jobs, “the only way to do a great work is to love what you do.” Sure, it is easier said than done, because at some point, loving what we are doing can be a difficult task. What you thought would be a pleasant mutually beneficial relationship with paper work, co-employees and your boss, can become a dreaded cloud in the horizon along your supposedly pleasant walk in your career path. Most of the time we get confused, scared even.

But how far do we see ourselves traveling down this road that leads us to the infinite black hole? here are a few signs that you need a detour and are all set in hop-in for a new job: You’re not passionate about work any longer If you can flip a tennis ball, an egg and an apple up in the air while delivering comical oneliners, but your job only allows you to sell tickets, it’s highly possible that you will get bored. eventually it will lead to apathy that shows up in your work. People around you can tell and they don’t want a job done by this kind of employee. there can also be situations that you do great in a job that you do not truly enjoy, so you end dreading it.

“Doing the same job for 50 years, unless you love it, is going to prove to be challenging,” says Career Doctor, Dr John taccori.

“Changing careers is healthy and keeps you engaged in the workforce longer. however a career change should be made with a well-informed mind.”

Satisfaction and fulfillment ensue if what we do has a purpose at least, if not passion.

You don’t feel your worth is valued A pat on the back of the boss works wonders. It feeds the basic human necessity of sense of worth and belongingness. A simple, “good job” means you are part of the overall success of the company. however, when you did a job well and have spent blood, sweat and tears just to ensure the quality of your work but never get any credit or recognition can be a

the company’s problems are and prove that you can solve those problems. Another hack is to research on the interviewer as he or she is the key to your potential break, see if there’s something you can talk about while being polite and professional. You need to make the hiring managers feel comfortable about you on an emotional level to sell yourself and stand out.

Be honest Questions like defining your strengths and weaknesses are some of the trickiest as they could be fallbacks if you don’t answer them smartly. Be authentic about your weaknesses — not necessarily overcoming them, but state what steps you’re doing to manage them. A weakness can become a strength if you spin it right. But remember: employers do not want fake smiles or rehearsed answers during the interview. they want to know whether you really align with their culture and the position.

Being honest is the best way to show off your skills to nail the job

While some people can be content on staying in the same position for a long period of time, others want to grow in order to progress in their careers.

Philstar.com photo

dangerous thing to both parties. It can sap out your interest to your and decreases your chances of survival in your job.

You want to reach a higher level While some people can be content on staying in the same position for a long period of time, others want to grow in order to progress in their careers. For some workplace, they provide little or no room for growth, thus leaving employees stunted. If this is the case, it’s time to pack your bags and breath fresh air that nourishes career growth.

But be wary. People can make bold career decisions, even unexpected ones. We have to make sure that every move is a calculated one to minimize risk and avoid the notorious move: One step forward, two steps backward.

You’re always too stressed, even after work As the popular saying goes, “All work, no play makes John a dull boy.” If your work seems to be occupying your waking hours, following you or let’s say, haunting you at home until the wee hours of the night, then you are sacrificing that muchneeded “me” time. this leaves you stressed, thus, making you counterproductive at work. this might happen for occasional urgent reasons, but if it happens almost everyday, just stop and breathe and draft that resignation letter.

You’re depressed

Do you find yourself perennially tired? Do you always drag yourself out of the bed and sometimes think of excuses for skipping work for a day, if not forever? Well, normally that happens especially after long weekends and during cold weather. But if it happens on a regular basis, it is because you don’t like your work. Chances are, your work does not love you back either. this can be manifested in a decreased emotional well being that can further affect our overall well being.

Our jobs offer us a mix of interesting factors such as joy, pain, sadness, sacrifice, kindness, and support. If we, with the participation of our bosses, coemployees and clients manage to strike a good balance of these; then we can yield a satisfying job.

If not, then go ahead and leave. the imbalance of these factors sums up that you are ready for a job change. Do it as a favor to yourself to experience life and a job that you deserve. It wouldn’t be easy but most of the time, the strength to do it is all we need. Make that decision where you won’t end up sully later on.

After you’ve found that new job, start with yourself first. Start by being a better version of yourself.

Put the distressing situations you have had on your previous job into good use by learning from them. If all else fails, repeat, not the mistakes, but the process. this will eventually lead you to find the one that you deserve.

A well-written resume is your best tool to make a good first impression to your potential employer. A study by an online job-matching service theladders says that it only takes an average of 6 seconds for recruiters to scan your resume and decide right away whether you’re up to the job or not. taking time to write your resume is really important, so make sure it follows a clear visual hierarchy to make it stand out above the rest. Here are some essential tips from theladders and Business time, on how to make a perfect resume that can likely increase your chance to get a call on your job interview: 1. Start your resume with a branding statement Begin your resume with your branding statement that stands out rather than relying on the traditional objective statement.

An objective statement only focuses on the job seeker’s talents in relation to a particular job position, whereas a branding statement doesn’t only focus on a specific position or industry. instead, it allows the job hunter to sum up his/her talents and translatable skills in a one definitive sentence.

Here’s an example: Objective statement: “talented social media marketing professional seeks position as an associate at a small to medium size clothing retailer.”

Branding statement: “Fashion savvy social marketing wiz with experience running successful marketing campaigns incorporat-

Tailor your resume to every job application that responds to the specific requirements your prospect organizations are looking for. It is important to be unique, rather than merely using generic terms you originally apply for or held.

to the specific requirements your prospect organizations are looking for. it is important to be unique, rather than merely using generic terms you originally apply for or held.

Use keywords that match the job description. these may catch the employers’ attention and probably place your resume at the top of the list. Don’t make a mistake of just portraying a bio of a candidate but market your skills and strengths for the particular position.

Some companies nowadays use preliminary software that targets specific words or phrases in order to determine which resume should be further assessed or flagged down. if you strategically place keywords on your resume, there’s a greater chance it will be forwarded on to a breathing Hr professional.

4. Avoid using creative fonts and formatting Choose a classic font such as Arial, times new roman, Calibri or Verdana. Avoid using excessive amounts of bold, italics, and other features as this may confuse resume scanning software. if you do choose to use bold or italics in titles and headings, make sure to use it consistently.

Forgo distractive fonts and visuals which may hamper employer’s decision-making and reduce their analytical capabilities.

Create a clear visual hierarchy that is smooth-flowing for the employer’s to read through.

5. Don’t make it too long there’s no specific length for a resume because it depends on your work experience and education. Yet, there’s a greater chance that your employer will give lesser attention to the next page than the first. Hence, include as much on the first page without making Taking time to write your resume is really important, so make sure it follows a clear visual hierarchy your resume appear cluttered. to make it stand out above the rest.

ing Facebook, twitter, instagram, and tumblr.” there are still posted jobs with the sole intent of filling a single position. whilst this is still a frequent goal today, employers now seek out talents and create space for well-qualified individuals whom can fit within their organizations. Start your resume with a branding statement that can show how you can be a valuable asset to your target companies.

2. Prioritize your expertise and skills on top list all these things near the top where the recruiter can easily see them. Use action verbs when presenting your accomplishments and support it with quantitative data if you can. For example, say that you increased sales by 50 percent, or the decisions you made led to a 120 percent decrease in operational costs. this is the area where you can freely go in depth and be specific. Don’t focus on your personal achievement; instead be detailed on your qualifications that can contribute to the company.

3. Tailor your resume for the potential position tailor your resume to every job application that responds

Photos from the U.S. Department of Labor

Continued on Page 4

3 Baron Geisler finds a second Lovi Poe shows off comedic chance in theater AUGUST 25-31, 2017

www.asianjournal.com

chops in ‘Woke Up Like This’

by MA. GLAIZA LEE Philstar.com

“MAS kinabahan ako dito kesa sa laban namin ni Kiko Matos,” actor Baron Geisler revealed when asked about his first foray in the theater stage.

He would make his theater debut through the Tanghalang Pilipino’s “Aurelio Sedisyoso,” an original rock sarswela based on the life of Aurelio Tolentino, a Filipino playwright and dramatist.

He would be playing the role of Tikbalang/Amerikano.

Upon the suggestion of his discoverer, the actor decided to try theater and auditioned for a part in the production.

The controversial actor shared that during that time he was depressed because of his mother’s passing. He was contemplating on moving on when the suggestion came. He auditioned twice before he got a callback from the theater company.

At first, after getting the call, Baron admitted that he felt somewhat arrogant. “I was very confident that I could do it. I thought it was a straight play, but it was actually a musical. Working with these great, amazing actors, it really humbled me. God put me in my place and said: ‘Baron, you’re not a great of an actor after all.’ I’m learning right now. I’m trying to be a sponge right now. Dati, akala ko andami ko ng alam. But nung nagstart na kami magrehearse, I have so much to learn. Ang daming magagaling na actor, so nakakapressure.”

While he is quite nervous about his stage debut, Baron expressed his commitment to see this production through. “I’m not really a singer so it is kind of hard for me.

But I’m very focused right now.

I’m committed. I’m not here to fail.

Lalaban ako.”

Apart from daily rehearsals for the “Aurelio Sedisyoso,” Baron is busy filming the movie “Right To Kill,” directed by Brillante Ma Mendoza.

“With TV and film, balwarte ko ‘yun. When I’m at the set of ‘Right To Kill,’ I’m very relaxed because I know what I’m doing.

crying on cue. But this time, it’s a lot harder. Thankfully, I had ManilaTimes.net everyone here helping me to THE name Lovi Poe has almost become familiar in this new always been associated with the world,” Poe said as she shared a words sexy, sultry and dramatic. panel interview with Navarro and Whenever she appears both on the rest of the “Woke Up Like This” the small and big screens, one can cast. expect her to either cry on cue or The actress mentioned that shed some clothes.

Navarro’s help particularly came in For these, the 28-year-old handy when she had to learn how has not gone unnoticed. She to sit and eat like a man when has to credit numerous acting their characters switch. nominations and awards for Poe was also thankful for Baron Geisler would make his theater debut through the Tanghalang Pilipino’s TV shows like “Bakekang”— getting along with the rest of the “Aurelio Sedisyoso.”

Philstar.com photos considered her biggest break cast including Joey Marquez, in 2006—“Legacy” and “Ang Yana Asistio, Bayani the theme “Freedom Writers: But with theater, iba ang disiplina Dalawang Misis Real. ” Agbayani, Raikko Mateo Freedom Fighters,” the latest dito. Here, I always second-guess She also earned several nods and newcomer Cora season features four productions myself, which is a big no-no. It for movie roles in “Mayohan,” Waddell, resulting in made me fell in love with the craft that embrace what the theater “great teamwork.” company stands for — utak, puso “Sagrada Familia,” “Yesterday again.”

Today and Tomorrow,” “Thy Womb” “For any movie, and bayan.

Catch Baron in “Aurelio and “Sana Dati. ” kailangan talaga ng team work, After opening with “Aurelio Sedisyoso,” which will run Poe was neither shy to take you can’t just memorize the script Sedisyoso,” the theater company from September 1 to 17 at the on daring roles in “My Neighbor’s and act it out—the chemistry moves on with “Ang Pag-uusig,” Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino Wife,” “Temptations Island” and must be there. So, from the never a play based on Arthur Miller’s (CCP Little Theater). This theater beginning, we were all introduced “The Crucible.” Directed by Dennis “The Escort,” nor pose for sexy was named in honor of the magazines to showcase her and were allowed to get to know Marasigan, with translation by Filipino playwright, whose 150th each other before the film started Jerry Respeto, the play dramatizes toned physique. As such, she birth anniversary is this year. It has been hailed as one of the rolling,” Poe noted. how the establishment is used stars actor David Ezra in the title sexiest dramatic actresses of her With this new experience, as a tool of the powerful few in role. generation. the actress said she is grateful exerting its force to condemn Hailed from The actress’ trademarks, for all the lessons she can bring the innocent. It will run from Guagua,Pampanga, Tolentino however, will take a back seat September 29 to October 22 at co-founded Teatro Porvenir, as Poe stars opposite funnyman Tanghalang Huseng Batute. along with Andres Bonifacio “Nang Dalawin ng Pag-ibig si Vhong Navarro in Regal and Macario Sakay. The theater Juan Tamad,” meanwhile, is based Entertainment’s new comedy company, which means “theater movie “Woke Up Like This.” on Nick Joaquin’s story on why of tomorrow,” became the The movie—which is also a Maria Makiling forever nurses meeting ground for the different pun on the trending social media a broken heart, and why Juan fathers of the Filipino war for hashtag #wokeuplikethis that Tamad is a pop idol. Directed independence. Through the plays connotes natural and effortless by Ed Lacson Jr., with stage they produced, they showed beauty—revolves around Sabrina adaptation by Rody Vera, this is their patriotic and nationalistic (Poe), a supermodel, and Nando a mashup love triangle amonng sentiment.

(Navarro), a hard court hero Maria Makiling, Juan Tamad and When his famous play whose selfishness and apathy Monte Banahaw. Catch it on “Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas” was cause them to magically wake up December 1 to 17 at the Little staged, Tolentino was arrested one day in switched bodies.

Theater. for sedition and rebellion since “No love scenes for the mean The season will close with the script called for tearing of time!” the actress teased during “Walang Aray,” a contemporary the American flag. Tolentino was her movie’s grand media launch comical version of Severino one of the signatories of the when asked for the big difference Reyes’ “Walang Sugat,” on Declaration of Independence in in her new movie.

February 16 to March 11, 2018, Kawit, Cavite on June 12,1898.

True, she may have had also at Little Theater. The original The rock sarswela, which cameos in comedy movies before material was written during the will be directed by Chris but never has Poe taken on a lead Spanish occupation, the time Millado, based on the script role in this genre. when zarzuela became a potent

by Nicanor Tiongson, is part “To be honest, I’ve become means of expressing Filipino of the Tanghalang Pilipino’s comfortable doing drama and nationalism.

31st theater season. Following

by CHRISTINA

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with her in case she does another comedy. “I learned to exaggerate to emphasize the comedic nature of a scene but more importantly, I learned to have fun while acting and that naturally shows in the movie.”

At the end of the day, however, Poe realized that the lessons she amassed during the filming of “Woke Up Like This” would never suffice to help her understand the opposite sex.

august 25-31, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

4

Celebrating the Moon Festival with Hmart Moon Cake Gift Sets

Lyndhurst, nJ (August 21, 2017) – the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important traditional Asian festivals. this is a time for family reunions and to count the blessings from the past year. Lanterns will be lit that day, and families will enjoy delicious dishes together. At a traditional

Mid-Autumn banquet, the mooncake, a treat shaped like a round moon, is an essential snack.

Mid-Autumn Festival is nearly here! hmart now presents a collection of fresh items that are perfect as gifts, from the traditional GuAnGZhOuJIuJIA mooncake boxes to the popular

Green tea flavor moon cake, giving you the chance to send your blessings to your friends and family. hmart is offering an array of traditional flavors this holiday.

Keep it traditional with the much loved White Lotus seed Paste with two egg yolks, or be a bit more adventurous with mixed nuts healthy alternative! these mooncake boxes are an easy way to share the traditional flavors of Mid-Autumn Festival with your family and friends and are a stunning gift for them that’s sure to impress.

Customers can now nip the tradition mooncake and discover hmart’s massive range of Asian goodies. What a great way to explore Asian Culture! Find more information about this event, visit www.hmart.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

this Barretto knows her fashion: travel #OOtds according to dani

Heart Evangelista: More exciting projects to come

By Elijah

RodERos AJPress

hEArt Evangelista was in tears as she marked her 19thanniversary in the entertainment industry.

With a flourishing almost two-decade journey in showbiz, heart thanked her fans and GMA network for handling her career well during the press conference of her new romantic-comedy show, “My Korean Jagiya”.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today kung wala kayo (if not for you),” she said. heart Evangelista or Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero in real life captured the hearts of many Filipinos with her youthfulness and innocence when she joined the ABs-CBn saturday teen-oriented show, “G-Mik,” which ran in the late 1900s until the early 2000s. she was once among the most celebrated teen stars of ABsCBn and blessed with her own primetime drama series “hiram” in 2004 and “Ang Panday” in 2005.

Evangelista was also one of the most popular video jocks in the then newly founded local music channel, MyX. Aside from being a popular teen artist back then, heart is also idolized for being a “kikay” and fashionista. she then decided to transfer to the rival network GMA in 2008 and did a number of drama series such as “Codename: Asero” in

Heart Evangalista

2008, “Luna Mystika” in 2008, “sine novela Presents: ngayon at Kailanman” in 2009, “Fullhouse” in 2009, “Langit sa Piling Mo” in 2010, “dwarfina” in 2011 and “Luna Blanca” in 2012, among others. this year, she starred in the sequel of the popular 2004 fantasy series,”Mulawin vs ravena” as the iconic Alwina. she also hosted a reality tV show, “Follow your heart,” which aired 13 episodes. her colorful love life further brought her to the limelight, being the most controversial is with Jericho rosales, her one true love, according to her past

Do it right: Writing the perfect...

From Page 2

Always on trend, showing skin but not sexy, young and fresh, Dani does know her fashion.

by EudEn

ValdEz Philstar.com

unLIKE her younger sisters Julia Barretto, who is already a blockbuster actress, and Claudia

EMPLOYMENT

Barretto, who has just released her debut album, dani Barretto is carving her own career not in the show business but in the lifestyle landscape.

6. Follow employer’s instruction on making a resume There’s nothing that will get a resume sent to the recycling bin faster than failing to follow the basic submission instructions.

Common directives may include: submitting your resume as a specific file type, using a specific forPhotos from www.instagram.com/danibarretto mat on file name, including specific information on the subject of As a travel and fashion the email, using specific font type blogger, dani has already and size, and/or submitting your gathered 374,000 followers on resume through the company Instagram. this ranks her as website instead of email. More Continued on Page 6 often, these instructions are given

EMPLOYMENT

HOME AGENCY

because of the employer’s special software requirements; however, in other cases, it is used to test the applicant’s ability to follow simple instructions.

7. Be honest While it is important to maximize certain work history and minimize the others, it is never okay to lie. In some companies, employers require to have a reference person, whether a colleague, or a previous employer because they will check your claims. And when they do, make sure there aren’t any unpleasant surprises.

SERVICES

Photo from her Instagram account

interviews.

Amongst her past lovers before marrying senator Chiz Escudero were John Pratts and the Brazilian model and actor, daniel Matsunaga.

At the moment, heart is very happy with what she has achieved in her career.

“I’ll be doing some exciting projects as we approach next year, and I thank you in advance for being there for me. It really means the world to me,” she shared. heart Evangelista is also an artist and has garnered a good number of followers in social media for painting on luxury bags.

8. Review your resume At the end of every resume, you need to evaluate and check for grammatical errors and spellings. Make sure that you updated your e-mail, phone number, and address as much as needed.

Never misspell on your resume. A trivial oversight can make your recruiters take you less seriously. You can ask a co-worker, former employers, teachers, parents or guardians, or other trusted people to check your resume and tell you if something is not right.

You can also have it professionally done. You may want to do the first draft, but leave the final touches to a professional.

Batangueño topnotcher in Westpoint visits Congress

5 Rhian Ramos finds the project she’s been looking for AUGUST 25-31, 2017

www.asianjournal.com

by LHAR

SANTIAGO ManilaTimes.net

Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu and Congressman Marvey Mariño welcome the Batangeño topnotcher in Westpoint, Lt. Don Stanley Castillo Dalisay during a courtesy visit in Congress recently. The two Batangueño lawmakers also presented Lt Dalisay to Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Deputy Speaker Abu principally authored House Resolution 1070, commending Lt Dalisay who graduated topnotcher and recipient of the Distinguished Cadet award given by the U.S. Military Academy, while Congressman Mariño co-authored it. Lt Dalisay is accompanied by his parents and relatives during the said event.

Myrtle Sarrosa: Inspiring the youth THE Manila Times has always had a soft spot for the multi-talented Myrtle Sarrosa ever since she pulled all the stops in performing at the paper’s 117th anniversary celebration in 2015. It was the height of the second season of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” then where she was a contestant, and no matter how demanding the show was, she made sure she came to the Times party garbed in full Marilyn Monroe glory and naturally brought the house down.

Keeping a close eye on the lovely Ilongga these past two years further impressed The Manila Times, what with her strong resolve to finish Broadcast Communications at the University of the Philippines even with her tight showbiz schedule.

Last June, after six years of struggling to complete her college units, Sarrosa graduated Cum Laude along with UP’s batch 2017, and is still on a high from “a dream come true.”

On Tuesday, Aug. 22, The Manila Times caught up with Sarrosa at her contract renewal for sanitary napkin brand Sisters, where she expressed happiness in reaching her goal and inspiring other young Filipinos along the way.

“I was amazed at how my graduation Facebook post garnered over 700,000 likes, 60,000 shares and some 16,000 comments,” she said in disbelief. “I just hope that all of my followers who are still in school will make sure they finish no matter how difficult or challenging it can be.”

Sarrosa is also grateful to have the makers of Sisters, Megasoft, devotedly supporting her advocacy in education.

“We’ve been to so many parts of the country

DOING a rom-com movie is an answered prayer for Rhian Ramos. After a string of drama projects, the actress was looking for a breather — a project where she does not need to internalize heavily, and where her tear ducts will not be overworked.

So when the offer to do “Fallback” came along, she was surprised it wasn’t a heavy going plot as she had expected.

“I couldn’t stop laughing. I was literally laughing out loud while reading the script. From the start pa lang, aliw na ko. It’s the project I’ve been looking for. My prayers have been answered and before I knew it, I was already in the cast,” Rhian told Showbuzz at the movie’s story conference.

In “Fallback,” directed by Jason Paul Laxamana, Rhian plays a woman who cannot find a perfect relationship, and always ends up with the short end of the stick.

“My character here is somebody working in a movie production as a location manager.

So laging aligaga sa paghahanap ng location. Laging hinahanapan ng direktor at producer ng fallback if the first location doesn’t work out. Tapos ang mga relasyon na pinapasok ko laging unsuccessful.

So, I decide that when I go into a relationship, I will have another man waiting in the wings for me so that if the relationship fails, I have a fallback,” Rhian revealed.

Besides “Fallback,” Rhian has started shooting another movie, an international action film where she stars with American and Chinese actors. The movie will be shot in Bacolod in its entirety,

Rhian Ramos

Calendar of Events across Myrtle Sarrosa is going places with her cum laude college diploma.

with our ‘School Is Cool’ campaign, which encourages the youth to stay in school because I truly believe that education will open so many doors for you,” Sarrosa related. “When we visit the schools, we give talks on personal hygiene in line with the brand, and also give recognition to students who Continued on Page 6

Photo from her Instagram account

while Fallback’s location will be in Manila and Subic.

“Kaya yan. Magagawan ng paraan ‘yan,” Rhian said of all the shuttling she’ll be doing. “We met with the two productions and we already arranged everything with regards to my shooting schedule.”

Rhian is just thankful that her new project with GMA is still awaiting its starting date. “I’ve been told by GMA I’ll be in a new series and buti na lang we will begin taping in September so I will be done with my shooting for my two movies by that time.”

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS AU G U ST 24

FACC-SLAA’s “luau” quarterly business & professionals networking mixer in Wilmington, CA The Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce – SouthBay Los Angeles Area (FACC-SLAA)

Town mates and Friends:

Please join us in celebration of our

508/ '*&45" '06/%*/( "//*7&34"3: 0' #"4$ JO -"4 7&("4 /&7"%" TU

When: Saturday, October 7, 2017 Where: Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, 400 West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103 Prepaid Dinner Buffet ticket only: $65 per person Please make check payable to: Aludiya Lagmay-Ganzon 8119 Mary E Ellen Avenue, North Hollywood, California 91605 - or Priscilla Castaneto-Ruedas 6851 Dale Street Apartment # 16, Buena Park, California 90621

presents a “luau” quarterly business & professionals networking mixer on Thursday, August 24. Come meet other driven Filipino/Fil-Am businesspersons and professionals in a relaxed and casual atmosphere! It will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Camino de Guanajuto Restaurant, 208 W. Anaheim St., Unit C, Wilmington, CA 90744. Tickets are free for FACCSLAA members. For non-members, it’s $15 for pre-registration or $20 at the door. For more information on FACC-SLAA, please visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/FilAmChamberOfCommerceSouthBayLAArea/.

SEPTEMBER 1-4

Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School international reunion in Las Vegas Come and celebrate with RMCHS alumni and guests for the third biannual international homecoming. Sing, dance, party, share precious memories and join the fun from Friday, September 1 to Monday, September 4 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino at 4500 W. Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103. Join the golf tournament in the morning of Saturday, Sept.

2 and then wear your best (black and white) for a dinner dance later that evening. Make this event an opportunity to reunite with your own batchmates, watch a show, visit tourist spots, and stroll along the Las Vegas Strip. For more information, visit the RMCHS 2017 INTL REUNION Facebook page.

S E P T E M B E R 1 5 -1 7

Liliwenos reunion in Las Vegas, NV Calling all Liliwenos living all around the world! There will be a three-day reunion in Las Vegas, NV starting with a picnic on Friday, Sept. 15 at Silverado Ranch Park. On Saturday, Sept. 16, it is a dinner/dance party at the Palace Station (2411 W. Sahara Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89102) at 5 p.m. The attire is semi-formal and costs $50 / person. Souvenir t-shirts cost $10 regardless of size. Deadline of payment for both the reunion and t-shirt cost is August 31 to be sent to Ms. Nerri Monteagudo at 9252 Bronze River, Las Vegas, Nevada 89149. On Sept.

17, participants are free to explore the Strip and other Vegas activities. For more information, please contact Bob and Nerri Monteagudo at (702) 339-3838; Carmen P. Manguin (702) 526-8005; Loida Borgonos at (201) 654-5482; or Fred Polistico at (818) 527-3476.

O C TO B E R 1 4

26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture in Echo Park

Nazario Perlas: Precy Castaneto- Ruedas: Lito Tambo: Ludy Lagmay-Ganzon: Mila Tadina: Josie Dolor Etrata: Mary Ann Arichea–Caunan:

nazario.perlas@yahoo.com pcruedas@yahoo.com lito.tambo@sbcglobal.net lganzon@gmail.com mrtadina@yahoo.com wilpenn@yahoo.com macaunan@ha.ucla.edu

*Discounted Room rates available at Gold Coast Hotel & Casino until September 3, 2017: Code: ABA2017

Save the date! The 26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) hosted by Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) is back at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, October 14. Expect a whole day filled with art exhibits, entertainment, and Fil-Am vendors. More details and special guests to be announced. For more information, please visit: http://www.filamarts.org/.

18th annual Asian Small Business Expo in Alhambra, CA On Saturday, Oct. 14, the 18th annual Asian Small Business Expo will be held at the Almansor Court Conference Center (700 S. Almansor St., Alhambra, CA 91801), featuring free workshops, exhibitors, networking opportunities, and more! Jonny Hwang, founder of 626 Night Market, is the featured guest speaker with special guest, Jerome Horton, chairman of the California Board of Equalization. It is FREE to attend! The Asian Small Business Expo is the only business-to-business expo that engages the Asian business community and brings this growing economic force into the mainstream to connect and utilize your company and its services. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with small businesses, market your organization and tap into a network of entrepreneurs, service providers, financial organizations, franchises and governmental and legislative representatives. For more information, please visit http://www.apisbp.org/expo.html.

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

august 18-24, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

Problem Solved atty. Kelly O’Reilly ACHIEVING immigration reform at the congressional level is extremely difficult.

As such, most action geared towards immigration reform has been done via Executive Order. President Donald Trump has long expressed his interests in reforming our immigration policies to a more merit-based system. With the signing of his Executive Order earlier this year, he tasked four federal agencies with the review and recommendation of changes pertaining to employment-based worker programs. The ultimate stated goals were: to prevent fraud and abuse and to safeguard American jobs. recently, President Trump voiced his support of the reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy bill, better known as the rAISE Act. The bill seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to eliminate the diversity immigrant visa program and place a 50,000 cap on refugee admissions. The bill’s most significant move is to prioritize immigrants based on the skills they bring to the United States.

In a press release from the White House on August 2nd, President Trump stated that “just 1 out of every 15 immigrants to the United States come here because of their skills.” To change this, the rAISE Act aims to reduce overall immigration numbers to limit low-skilled and unskilled labor entering the U.S. In order to do so, the rAISE Act prioritizes immediate family members (spouses and minor children) and eliminates preferences for extended family members and adult children (over the age of 21). The rAISE Act also purports to establish a nonimmigrant alien W-visa for parents of an adult U.S. citizen.

Most notably, rAISE aims to override the current employmentbased system by adopting a

6

The RAISE Act: A proposed ‘points-based’ immigration system merits-based immigration system that rewards individuals based on their education, English-language ability, job prospects, past achievements

and entrepreneurial initiative. The points-based system, similar to the ones implemented in Canada and Australia, will prioritize highskill, among other factors.

A breakdown of the points system is as follows: Age: ≤17 (0 pts) 18-21 (6 pts) 22-25 (8 pts) 26-30 (10 pts) 31-35 (8 pts) 36-40 (6 pts) 41-45 (4 pts) 46-50 (2 pts) ≥51 (0 pts)

Education: U.S. or foreign high school degree (1 pt) Foreign bachelor’s degree (5 pts) U.S. bachelor’s degree (6 pts) Foreign STEM* master’s degree (7 pts) U.S. STEM master’s degree (8 pts) Foreign STEM doctorate or professional degree (10 pts) U.S. STEM doctorate or professional degree (13 pts) *Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

English Language: Poor Moderate Good Excellent Fluent

(0 pts) (6 pts) (10 pts) (11 pts) (12 pts)

Extraordinary Achievement: Nobel Laureates or scholars of comparable acclaim (25 points) Winners of Individual Medals in the Olympics (or athletes of comparable acclaim) (15 points) Job Prospects/Offered Salary: No job offer or salary offered is less than $77,900 (0 pts) Salary offered is 150% of median household income (or at least $77,900) (5 pts) Salary offered is 200% of the median household income (or at least $103,900) (8 pts) Salary offered is 300% of the median household income (or at least $155,800) (13 pts) Investment in, and management of, New Commercial Initiative (Entrepreneurial initiative): No plans to invest, or investing less than $1,350,000 (0 pts) Plans to invest at least $1,350,000 (6 pts) Plans to invest at least $1,800,000 (12 pts)

Specifically, a foreign national needs at least 30 points to be eligible to apply for immigration to the United States. Furthermore, applicants with the highest number of points would be pushed to the front of the line to receive visas. Although the bill is unlikely to pass Congress in the near future, still, it is an interesting to see how one would fare under the proposed points system. ***

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.

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com.

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

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

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

Parenthood: A sacred covenant

love with selfless devotion and tenderness the new life he helps bring into this world.

Anything less in either parent makes the man nothing but an egocentric sperm donor and the woman only a cold and cruel PhiliP S. Chua, human incubator.

MD, FaCS, FPCS While most couples are blessed with children of their own, “…Anything less makes the man some have to endeavor harder to nothing but a selfish egocentric receive these gifts. The admirable sperm donor and the woman only a ones who have decided to adopt cold and cruel human incubator.” children are those with fortitude, EVEry child is a blessing from self-confidence, a mind that is God, and having children, natural secure, and a heart full of love and or adopted, is one of the greatest compassion. And in today’s world privileges a couple or a person can where unfortunate orphans and have. But just like any privilege in unwanted, or neglected, children life, parenthood comes with serious abound, these wonderful couples, obligations and responsibilities for who are eager to adopt them, love both the mother and the father, or them, and care for them, are truly the adopted parent(s). admirable saviors and heroes in It does not require a man to the strict sense of the word. After be a genius or a superman to all, procreation, conception, and impregnate a woman. Neither does delivery are only a miniscule part it need more than consent for a of true motherhood, and providing healthy woman to get pregnant. the sperm, only an iota of what What makes a woman a mother is fatherhood is all about. not the few minutes of romance or Parenthood is really the natural the short nine months of carrying instinct of giving oneself totally in the child, or even the actual the subconscious fulfillment of an delivery. They are the everlasting unwritten, self-imposed, contract love, enduring sacrifices and the parents made with their yet endless patience that follow in unborn child, entered into the very caring for the child that define moment the man and the woman motherhood. Child bearing is easy. engaged themselves in an act that Child rearing is something else. could bring forth a new life into Any woman can get pregnant and this world. Conceivably, that same deliver a child, but not all can be a sacred bond, and all the instincts mother. of parenthood, have been faithfully Similarly, it takes more than kept and handed down from the just virility and prowess in bed for very first family of humans on a man to be a father. Fatherhood earth to our generation today. The is the indomitable strength, reciprocal obligation is, of course, invincible courage, and the joyful for the children to take care of their eagerness in a man to commit, to parents when the time comes.

Health@Heart

That this covenant is a part of the laws of nature is evident even among animals, especially among mammals. It is a tragedy and a shame, though to realize that it is more pervasive among humans to neglect, hurt and/or abandon their young than among almost all animals. Similarly, it is a sad commentary, on the other end of the spectrum, that ingratitude and cruelty are all too common among some people of today, who wantonly desert their old and helpless parents in the sunset years of their lives when they need their children’s love and care the greatest.

While parenthood is a grave responsibility filled with many a sleepless night, sweat and sacrifices, and sometimes disappointments and tears, it is nonetheless a joyous privilege and a magnificent gift from the Almighty. And as long as we, supposedly the smartest and most superior creatures on the Planet Earth, continue to honor that divine covenant, the world will remain a wonderful place to live in.

Visit philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

Julian Trono and Ella Cruz: From dance sensations to new movie stars is paired with Soo Mi young in “Program for Love.” yOUNG dance sensations Julian Trono and Ella The film’s hilarious twists and romantic turns take Cruz will be launched to full stardom via their debut shape when Ollie meets Aimee, who happens to be movie as a love team, “Fan Girl | Fan Boy,” which opens his biggest fan. Aimee agrees to help Ollie work on in cinemas nationwide on September 6. this acting skills and she succeeds It will be remembered that as he achieves that elusive dream Trono started his career in 2009 of stardom. In exchange, though, via several GMA Network youth Aimee gets heartbroken due to programs, before signing up with complications in Ollie’s showbiz Viva Artists Agency and moving career. on to ABS-CBN. He trained under a Trono and Cruz say “Fan Girl Korean Pop (K-pop) system, working | Fan Boy” spells big pressure on with Korean choreographers and a them as a team.“Yung pressure na voice coach, becoming best known nararamdaman ko kapag sinasabi ni for his moves on the dance floor.

Direk na napanood na daw nila Boss Similarly, Cruz had done the Vic (del rosario, VIVA big boss) ‘yung rounds of the three major networks movie, tapos sinasabi nila ‘yung before settling down with Viva feedback nila, kinakabahan talaga Artist Agency and ABS-CBN, and ako,” Cruz relates. shot to popularity with her viral “Lagi ko tinatanong si Direk, video dancing to Miley Cyrus’ totoo ba ito? Totoo bang matatapos “Twerk It Like Miley.” na natin ‘yung movie? Totoo bang Paired up as dance superstars malapit na tayong ipalabas?” she on TV, “Fan Girl | Fan Boy”—a Joyce goes on.

Bernal production for Viva Films But then again, the pair and and N2 Productions—will see how Julian Trono and Ella Cruz their director are confident they have the young pair’s draw does on the given “Fan Girl | Fan Boy” their best. They can only hope big screen with a very timely take on the K-pop fever, that the dance duo’s fans will have as much fun as they under debuting film director Barry Gonzalez. did while shooting the film and that they will embrace Trono’s character, Ollie Fernandez, is a one-hit boy them as well as a couple on the big screen this time. wonder with a level of confidence that more often Meanwhile, addressing talks that they might be borders on conceit. He fanboys over Korean actress Viva’s next JaDine, Trono and Cruz admit JaDine is one Soo Mi young (played by yam Concepcion), who essays tough act to follow and that they are flattered with the part of Sandy/Android 5000 in the Koreanovela the idea. But for now, they would rather focus on their “Program for Love.” budding movie pairing, improve on their act and leave Cruz, meanwhile, is Aimee, Soo Mi young’s dubber. ronnie Liang is Min Jun Park, the Korean actor who the rest to destiny. (ManilaTimes.net)

Myrtle Sarrosa: Inspiring...

From Page 5 excel in their studies to keep them motivated.”

Megasoft’s vice president for marketing Aileen Choi-Go who is just as impressed with Sarrosa’s achievements shared how she saw the actress studying whenever she can during their out of town activities.

“We’d be on a plane early morning for the province and Myrtle will already have her books out, especially nearer

her graduation,” Go related. “remember when we signed her on, we said she was in the running for cum laude in UP and she really did it! That’s why we’re so proud of her and very supportive of her advocacy.”

Patience is another one of Sarrosa’s virtues, who after being declared “Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 4’s” big winner has taken her career in stride.

“I’ve often wondered why my career hasn’t taken the fast track

as other artists’ have but I really put a premium on education and I like they say, you can’t have everything all the time,” she reflected. “But these days, we’ve had so many phone calls for shows, movies and other projects that sometimes, I’ve been having to say no because of scheduling.

I just finished doing ‘La Luna Sangre,’ and I’m about to star in an episode of ‘Wattpad.’ After that, a movie’s also in the works so I can’t complain.” (ManilaTimes.net)

This Barretto knows her fashion...

From Page 4 among Filipina digital influencers.

She is loved for her spontaneity— her feed veers away from heavy curation—and of course, her sense of style.

Always on trend, showing some skin but not racy, the young and fresh Dani does know her fashion. This is seen in her travel #OOTDs, which she captures using her trusted companion, the Huawei P10.

Featuring the new Leica Dual Camera 2.0 on its rear, Huawei P10 produces professional-looking portraits, monochrome and wide images, among others. Its front camera, which is also coengineered with Leica, captures more light for stunning selfies day or night.

Check out Dani’s travel photos that showcase her signature stylesamidst the Philippines’ most beautiful destinations—all taken using the Huawei P10.

Not your typical beach babe Dani is not your typical beach babe who flaunts her skinny body in two-piece attires. This girl is

proud of her healthy yet sexy figure and she complements it with the right choices of bikinis.

Here, she dons a mustard onepiece in a paradise in the coast of Surigao City in Mindanao. She accentuates the look with brown hair and a pair of orange-tinted sunglasses.

She is shot in Huawei P10’s Portrait Mode that results to a vintage effect in Leica image style.

A pop of color to brighten a gray day Dani brightens up a rather gray day on the beach with a turquoise bikini paired with faded denim shorts, in a sexy back pose.

To showcase not just her ensemble but also the surroundings on Pandanon Island in Bohol, she utilizes her Huawei P10’s dual lens feature. Huawei, by partnering with Leica, is the first to introduce the dual lens innovation in smartphones.

The feeling of forever in El Nido We all know how strikingly blue the lagoons of El Nido

in Palawan are. But when photographed in black and white, the island paradise gives a different feeling, the feeling of forever.

This is exactly what Dani’s photo gives us here.

She captions, “I love how my signature Leica Monochrome that’s available on Huawei P10.

Perfectly captures moments in my life that I want to bring with me forever.”

And oh, take a look at Dani’s high-waisted bikini bottom with side-string detail. Fabulous!

The girl that glows Still in El Nido, Dani reveals her soft side in this self-portrait taken using her Huawei P10.

The Barretto beauty glows in her flawless skin and rosecoloredbikini with matching rose-tinted lips.

The Barretto clan may indeed be famous in showbiz—before this generation’s crop there were sisters Gretchen, Marjorie and Claudine—but Dani is out to prove that in her own right, her star can shine as bright.

august 25-31, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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august 25-31, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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